to sound out
2
4.4
- phrasal verb
- /saʊnd aʊt/
:
sondear
- During the meeting, he tried to sound out the team's interest in the upcoming project.
- sounding out people
Examples
-
The national security adviser, Arthur Wix, was trying to sound out the Secretary of Defense.
Fiction book (1990) -
I guess I just want to sound out if other mefites think I'm being over-sensitive here.
Blog text (25) -
- If you could just talk to her, you could just sound her out.
-
I sound out two people, who each sound out two people, and so on.
Fiction book (2002) -
"Oh, I suppose I could sound him out."
Fiction book (2001) -
I will sound out our most trusted officers.
-
You can contact the experts that Humphries has used and sound them out.
Fiction book (2001) -
We are looking at funding, and I have sounded out several people who all felt it was not worth the trouble, and debt funding was easier.
Blog text (31) -
Before making a decision, I wanted to sound out my colleagues to see how they felt about the new policy.
-
She called a few friends to sound out their opinions on the event before finalizing the details.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To request information or an answer from someone
570
1.0
To ask someone questions to get information
107
3.0
To ask someone for information about something
48
6.8
To ask people for something, often in a formal or persistent way
40
5.3
To get an answer or other reaction from someone by asking
18
7.4
Ask someone many questions to get information
18
3.7
To ask a person a question to show doubt or get information
7
5.3
Try to find out someone's opinion or plans without asking directly
1
6.2
Ask people quietly to find out their views or if something is possible
Antonyms
How Thorough
- Formal
142
6.5
- Literature
35
5.1
2
4.4
285
3.9
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to pronounce the sounds of letters or syllables' is partly derivable from combining 'sound' (to produce a sound or pronounce) with the particle 'out' (outwardly, fully), so learners can often infer a sense of pronouncing something aloud. However, the required narrowing to the specific reading about spelling/phonemes depends on selecting the correct sense of 'sound' and recognising a phrasal-verb pattern, so the meaning is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The verb sound out may come from the image of making a small sound and listening out for a reply. That's why to sound out someone means 'to find out what they think'.