souse Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a person who drinks alcohol to excess habitually
    alcoholic; lush; alky; boozer; dipsomaniac; soaker.
  2. noun pork trimmings chopped and pickled and jelled
  3. noun the act of making something completely wet
    soaking; drenching; sousing.
    • he gave it a good drenching
  4. verb cover with liquid; pour liquid onto
    drench; soak; sop; douse; dowse.
    • souse water on his hot face
  5. verb immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate
    dunk; plunge; dip; douse.
    • dip the garment into the cleaning solution
    • dip the brush into the paint
  6. verb become drunk or drink excessively
    inebriate; hit it up; soak.
  7. verb cook in a marinade
    • souse herring

WordNet

Souse noun
Etymology
OF. sausse. See Sauce.
Definitions
  1. Pickle made with salt.
  2. Something kept or steeped in pickle; esp., the pickled ears, feet, etc., of swine.
    And he that can rear up a pig in his house, Hath cheaper his bacon, and sweeter his souse. Tusser.
  3. The ear; especially, a hog's ear. Prov. Eng.
  4. The act of sousing; a plunging into water.
Souse transitive verb
Etymology
Cf. F. saucer to wet with sauce. See Souse pickle.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Soused ; present participle & verbal noun Sousing
Definitions
  1. To steep in pickle; to pickle. "A soused gurnet." Shak.
  2. To plunge or immerse in water or any liquid.
    They soused me over head and ears in water. Addison.
  3. To drench, as by an immersion; to wet throughly.
    Although I be well soused in this shower. Gascoigne.
Souse intransitive verb
Etymology
Probably fr. OF. sors, p.p. of sordre to rise, and first used of an upward swood, then of a swoop in general, but also confused with Souse, v. t. See Source.
Definitions
  1. To swoop or plunge, as a bird upon its prey; to fall suddenly; to rush with speed; to make a sudden attack.
    For then I viewed his plunge and souse Into the foamy main. Marston.
    Jove's bird will souse upon the timorous hare. J. Dryden. Jr.
Souse transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To pounce upon. R.
    [The gallant monarch] like eagle o'er his serie towers, To souse annoyance that comes near his nest. Shak.
Souse noun
Definitions
  1. The act of sousing, or swooping.
    As a falcon fair That once hath failed or her souse full near. Spenser.
Souse adverb
Definitions
  1. With a sudden swoop; violently. Young.

Webster 1913