so.
Reduced form of 'so that', used to express purpose; in order that.
Meaning & usage
Reduced form of 'so that', used to express purpose; in order that.
I got an earlier train to work so I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the meeting.
Eat your broccoli so you can have dessert.
As a result; for that reason; therefore; because of this; due to this.
I was hungry, so I asked if there was any more food.
He ate too much cake and so he fell ill.
Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question.
So how does this story end?
Used to introduce a rhetorical question.
“We'd like to visit but I don't know if we can afford a hotel.” — “So who's staying in a hotel? Stay with us.”
Provided that; on condition that; as long as.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).
To the (explicitly stated) extent.
It was so hot outside that all the plants died.
He was so good, they hired him on the spot.
To the (implied) extent.
I need a piece of cloth so long. [= this long]
Very (positive or negative clause).
I feel so much better now.
I so nearly lost my temper.
Very much.
But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town!
Very much. at all (negative clause).
That is so not true!
In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; likewise, also.
As above, so below.
Just as you have the right to your free speech, so I have the right to mine. Many people say she's the world's greatest athlete, but I don't think so. "I can count backwards from one hundred." "So can I."
Indeed.
‘Look, it’s just stopped raining.’ ‘So it has!’
‘There are two more.’ ‘So there are.’
To such an extent or degree; as.
so far as; so long as; so much as
Where this word comes from
From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).
Agreeing with actual facts or reality; true.
That is so.
You are responsible for this, is that not so?
In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase.
"You're definitely not right about that." "I am so!" (→I am right about that).
Homosexual.
Is he so?
Where this word comes from
From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).
Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story, or a new thought or question in continuation of an existing topic.
So, let's go home.
So, what'll you have?
Used as a question to ask for further explanation of something said, often rhetorically or in a dismissive or impolite manner.
"You park your car in front of my house every morning." — "So?"
Used as a meaningless filler word to begin a response to a question.
What are you doing? / So I'm just fixing this shelf.
What time does the train leave? / So it leaves at 10 o'clock.
Be as you are; stand still; used especially to cows; also used by sailors.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).
That which was previously mentioned; that.
I'll become a loyal friend and remain so.
If that's what you really mean, then just say so.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English so, swo, zuo, swa, swe, from Old English swā, swǣ, swē (“so, as, the same, such, that”), from Proto-West Germanic *swā, from Proto-Germanic *swa, *swē (“so”), from Proto-Indo-European *swē, *swō (reflexive pronomial stem). Cognate with Scots sae (“so”), Saterland Frisian so (“so”), West Frisian sa (“so”), Dutch zo (“so”), German Low German so (“so”), German so (“so”), Danish så (“so”), Norwegian Nynorsk so (“so”), Swedish så (“so, such that”), Faroese so (“so”), Icelandic svo (“so”), Old Latin suad (“so”), Albanian sa (“how much, so, as”), Ancient Greek ὡς (hōs, “as”), Urdu سو (sō, “hence”).
A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.
A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale. Sometimes syllable for both the second and the fifth.
Where this word comes from
Shortened from sol, to make it an open syllable for uniformity with the rest of the scale, from Glover's solmization, from Middle English sol (“fifth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian sol in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin solve (“wash away”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.
A type of dairy product, made especially in Japan between the seventh and tenth centuries, by reducing milk by boiling it.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Japanese 蘇 (so).
Abbreviation of someone.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.