souse

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To soak something thoroughly in a liquid, especially brine or vinegar for pickling.

   Grammar: Takes an object: souse the fish in brine.

   Patterns

   • souse something in something
   • souse something with something

   She soused the cucumbers in vinegar and dill.

   The recipe says to souse the herring overnight in salt water.

   He soused the vegetables in a spicy brine before canning them.

2. 2verbtransitiveinformal

   To make someone completely wet; to drench.

   Grammar: Often used in the passive: be soused.

   Patterns

   • souse someone/something with something
   • be soused in something

   The sudden storm soused us as we walked home.

   He was soused with water from the broken pipe.

   She soused the plants with a hose.

3. 3nouncountableinformalold-fashioneddisapproving

   A person who drinks alcohol heavily and often.

   Grammar: Countable; dated and informal, sometimes disapproving.

   Patterns

   • a souse

   The old man was known as the town souse.

   He drank like a souse every weekend.

Word forms

Common combinations

souse in brine

They souse the pork in brine for three days.

souse with water

The firefighters were soused with water from the burst main.

soused herring

Soused herring is a traditional dish in some European countries.

Synonyms and how they differ

drench

Drench means to make completely wet, often by rain or a liquid; souse is similar but can also mean to pickle.

soak

Soak means to leave something in liquid for a long time; souse often implies a shorter or more thorough wetting.

pickle

Pickle specifically means to preserve in vinegar or brine; souse can mean the same but also just to drench.

Opposites

Word family

soused adjective

Drunk; or soaked in liquid.

Commonly confused: souse or sauce?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “souse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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