- sound someone out
- question someone discreetly or cautiously.→ sound
English new terms dictionary. 2014.
sound someone out
Look at other dictionaries:
sound someone out — sound (someone) out to carefully discover what someone thinks or knows. I thought it might be good to sound him out about having you come to work for us. His policy was to sound out top business leaders before making any new economic proposals.… … New idioms dictionary
sound sb out — UK US sound sb out Phrasal Verb with sound({{}}/saʊnd/ verb ► to discover informally what someone thinks or intends to do about a particular thing, so that you can be prepared or take suitable action: »The investment bank has already sounded out… … Financial and business terms
ˌsound sb ˈout — phrasal verb to try to find out someone s opinions by talking to them Candidates will be sounding out voters during the months before the election.[/ex] … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
sound someone/something out — INVESTIGATE, test, check, examine, probe, research, look into; canvass, survey, poll, question, interview, sample; informal pump. → sound … Useful english dictionary
sound out — sound (someone) out to carefully discover what someone thinks or knows. I thought it might be good to sound him out about having you come to work for us. His policy was to sound out top business leaders before making any new economic proposals.… … New idioms dictionary
laugh someone out of court — see under ↑laugh • • • Main Entry: ↑court laugh someone out of court To prevent someone getting a hearing by ridicule • • • Main Entry: ↑laugh * * * laugh someone/something out of court phrase if you laugh someone or something out of court, you… … Useful english dictionary
sound — I. /saʊnd / (say sownd) noun 1. the sensation produced in the organs of hearing when certain vibrations (soundwaves) are caused in the surrounding air or other elastic medium, as by a vibrating body. 2. the vibrations in the air, or vibrational… …
sound — sound1 noun 1》 vibrations which travel through the air or another medium and are sensed by the ear. ↘a thing that can be heard. ↘the area within which something can be heard. 2》 (also musical sound) sound produced by continuous and… … English new terms dictionary
sound out — PHRASAL VERB If you sound someone out, you question them in order to find out what their opinion is about something. [V P n (not pron)] He is sounding out Middle Eastern governments on ways to resolve the conflict... [V n P] Sound him out… … English dictionary
sound — sound1 [sound] n. [< ME soun (+ unhistoric d) < OFr son < L sonus < IE * swonos, a sound, noise < base * swen , to sound > OE swinsian, to sing, make music] 1. a) vibrations in air, water, etc. that stimulate the auditory nerves … English World dictionary
