sound out

verb

To question and listen attentively in order to discover a person's opinion, intent, or preference, especially by using indirect conversational remarks.

Similar
to feel outto check outpronouncearticulateenounceenunciatesaycheck out
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Meanings

verbsound out (third-person singular simple present sounds out, present participle sounding out, simple past and past participle sounded out)

present singular third person sounds out · participle present sounding out · participle past sounded out · past sounded out

  1. transitiveTo question and listen attentively in order to discover a person's opinion, intent, or preference, especially by using indirect conversational remarks.

    You'll have to ask them—sound them out.

    1918, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 24, in The Valley of the Giants

    Synonyms: to feel out, to check out

  2. transitiveTo pronounce a word or phrase by articulating each of its letters or syllables slowly in sequence.
  3. intransitiveTo speak or sing loudly, to call out.

    Sound out, voices of young men! loudly and musically call me by my nighest name!

    c. 1855, Walt Whitman, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, stanza 9

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo question and listen attentively in order to discover a person's opinion, intent, or preference, especially by using indirect conversational remarks.

Similar
to feel outto check out

More synonyms by meaning

verbspeak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way

Similar
pronouncearticulateenounceenunciatesay
Broader
talkspeakutter

verbtry to learn someone's opinions and intentions

Similar
check outfeel out
Broader
questionquery
Also see
articulatecheck outenounceenunciatefeel outpronouncesay

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Catalan sondar
  • sondarto question and listen attentively to discover a person's opinion
German aushorchen, artikulieren
  • aushorchento question and listen attentively to discover a person's opinion
  • artikulierento pronounce a word or phrase by articulating each of its letters
  • aussprechento pronounce a word or phrase by articulating each of its letters
  • anstimmento speak or sing loudly
Polish wybrzmiewać, wybrzmieć
  • wybrzmiewaćto pronounce a word or phrase by articulating each of its letters
  • wybrzmiećto pronounce a word or phrase by articulating each of its letters
Vietnamese thăm dò, ráp vần
  • thăm dòto question and listen attentively to discover a person's opinion
  • ráp vầnto pronounce a word or phrase by articulating each of its letters
  • kêu vangto speak or sing loudly
Cite this entry
APA

sound out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20out

MLA

“sound out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sound out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20out.

Source: sound out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.