SOS
15
3.7
- noun
- /ˌɛs.oʊˈɛs/
:
SOS
- The emergency services quickly responded after receiving an SOS from the stranded hikers.
Examples
-
I got myself 10 nickels and started sending out a general SOS.
-
All frequencies, SOS.
-
There was one SOS from the mine, and then nothing.
-
Then their SOS was real.
Fiction book (2002) -
Maybe we should just draw a big SOS in the sand and chill here?
-
The SOS was still broadcasting mindlessly into the night.
Fiction book (1999) -
It's an SOS message.
-
We've received an SOS from an uncharted sector of the galaxy.
-
It won't belong before a rescue plane sees our SOS and flies us back to civilization.
-
When the ship was in danger, the captain sent out an SOS signal to request immediate help.
Synonyms
37
3.1
A signal sent by a ship, plane, or person asking for emergency help
How Urgent
15
3.7
- Specialized
37
3.1
- Specialized
1
4.1
59
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
SOS = S + O + S
SOS is an initialism whose individual letters do not contribute transparently to the meaning of the distress signal, so learners cannot derive the sense from the component letters.
Etymology
The word SOS started as a simple radio code of three dots, three dashes, three dots (...---...), chosen because it was very easy to send and to recognize. A helpful way to remember it is the phrases 'Save Our Souls' or 'Save Our Ship', and that is why SOS means a signal of 'distress' used around the world.