an internationally recognized distress signal in which the letters SOS are repeatedly spelt out, as by radiotelegraphy: used esp by ships and aircraft a message broadcast in an emergency for people otherwise unobtainable a call for help
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
SOS /ˈɛsˌoʊˈɛs/USA pronunciation n. [countable], pl. SOSs, SOS's.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- an internationally recognized distress signal, consisting of the letters SOS in Morse code.
- any call for help.
SOS,
s.o.s.,
- the letters represented by the radio telegraphic signal (••• – – – •••) used, esp. by ships in distress, as an internationally recognized call for help.
- any call for help:We sent out an SOS for more typists.
- to send an SOS.
- 1905–10
n.
v.i.
- Slang TermsSee shit on a shingle.
s.o.s.,
- Drugs(in prescriptions) if necessary.
- Latin sī opus sit
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'SOS' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Aglaophon of Thasos
- Calypso
- Dionysus
- Nessus
- affettuoso
- arioso
- aviso
- basso
- calypso
- chamiso
- choriso
- convex
- dipso
- distress call
- espresso
- expresso
- fatso
- furioso
- gracioso
- iso
- lasso
- maestoso
- mafioso
- peso
- proviso
- reboso
- reverso
- riboso
- sargasso
- say-so
- so-and-so
- torso
- verso
- virtuoso