sound

From: The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | Date: 2007

sound¹ / sound/ • n. vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear: light travels faster than sound. ∎ a group of vibrations of this kind; a thing that can be heard: she heard the sound of voices in the hall don't make a sound. ∎ the area or distance within which something can be heard: we were always within sound of the train whistles. ∎ short for speech sound. ∎ the ideas or impressions conveyed by words: you've had a hard day, by the sound of it. ∎ (also musical sound) sound produced by continuous and regular vibrations, as opposed to noise. ∎ music, speech, and sound effects when recorded, used to accompany a film or video production, or broadcast: [as adj.] a sound studio. ∎ broadcasting by radio as distinct from television. ∎ the distinctive quality of the music of a particular composer or performer or of the sound produced by a particular musical instrument: the sound of the Beatles. ∎ (sounds) inf. music, esp. popular music: sounds of the sixties।