How to Use sour in a Sentence

sour

1 of 3 adjective
  • The milk had turned sour.
  • He made a sour face.
  • The whole day long since gone sour.
    — Robert Easton, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Stew should be dark brown and sweet and sour.
    — Judy Bart Kancigor, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
  • The ones who did were a bit sour and surly.
    — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
  • Pig fear had the same sour reek as our fear.
    — Will MacKin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • Still, the mood in line rarely stays sour for long.
    — Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
  • His breath had the tang of sour bananas.
    — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
  • For a moment, the mood turns sour.
    — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • The sweet smell of success turns sour.
    — Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
  • But things went sour fast last season.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Hot and sour soup is a true culinary gift.
    — Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Bad gas often has a spoiled or sour smell.
    — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
  • An off smell or sour odor signals spoilage.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
  • That was the only sour note of the day, though.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
  • But after a good start, things soon turned sour.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 25 May 2026
  • That’s why there’s all these sour headlines.
    — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2025
  • So this is my plea to Wendy's to bring back sweet and sour.
    — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Thoughts of Mom always turn sour.
    — Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Coulibaly scored six goals in nine league games before his move turned sour.
    — Jay Harris, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Some might say that blending the sweet and sour taste could be a metaphor for life.
    — Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2025
  • But the year ended on a sour series of notes.
    — Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
  • That dour affair left a sour taste in the soccer world.
    — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
  • Underdo it, and your dish could be too dry or sour.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 June 2026
  • Underdo it, and your dish could be too dry or sour.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Discard any tomatoes that have a sour smell or pus along the crack.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2023
  • Toisanese sweet and sour sauce finishes the dish.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • Taking care of a lemon tree doesn’t need to leave you feeling sour.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The flavors are spicy, sour, and often thick.
    — Tanya Edwards, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026
  • Using a clean mop each time will help reduce stale, sour odors.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 10 Feb. 2026

sour

2 of 3 noun
  • Finish your meal with a stiff lemon sour and a bowl of rice topped with salmon roe.
    — Bon Appetit, 19 Mar. 2018
  • The Pisco sour is frothy and dessert-like, like key lime pie.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 2 July 2026
  • Garnish the sour with an orange slice.
    — Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Have a few rounds of Guinness pulled with pride, maybe a scotch sour.
    — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Get your fruit fix with this cloudy sour out of Problem Solved.
    — Blaine Callahan, Hartford Courant, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Be sure to order the Pisco sour!
    — Ronny Maye, Essence, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Keep tasting every day to know how far the sour has progressed.
    — Ian Knauer, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2022
  • Which nations will feel the sweetness of joy and which the sour of despair?
    — Jared Young, chicagotribune.com, 21 June 2018
  • This poison apple sour will cast you under its spell from the very first sip.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Aug. 2025
  • The beer promised prickly pear flavor but wasn't listed as a sour.
    — Tirion Morris, azcentral, 14 Feb. 2020
  • Warm up with a rich bourbon drink, or cool down with a fresh sour when the games get intense.
    — Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Feb. 2026
  • For fans, the allure of a sour comes in its uniquely tangy aroma and taste.
    — Ryan Prior, CNN, 18 Aug. 2020
  • Is this part of why, in so many cultures, no meal is complete without a touch of sour?
    — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023
  • But craft beer is much more than stouts, sours and other hops-and-malt razzle-dazzle.
    — Matt Wake | [email protected], al, 26 Jan. 2023
  • Wash it all down with a Chilean pisco sour or bottle of local wine.
    — Nora Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2023
  • Lovers of stouts, sours and various lighter styles will also have plenty to choose from.
    — oregonlive.com, 19 July 2019
  • The shock of heat wakes up the green chiles and concentrates the fruity-sour tomatillo flavor.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
  • There will be 65 kegs of ales on tap that range from light sour to heavily fruited.
    — John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2023
  • That means carrying light and dark beers, sours, lagers, fruit beers and more inside the small taproom.
    — Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2023
  • About 10 minutes into the premiere, the dream sours.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
  • This gin sour lengthened with soda water is a simple yet tasty delight of a drink.
    — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2026
  • The brewery also has ventured into sours and goses as of late.
    — Julia Sayers, AL.com, 25 May 2017
  • The kimchi sour, for example, does not taste like kimchi in a liquid form.
    — Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2021
  • Consider that fruit-forward sours can often bridge the gap between wine and beer.
    — Kathy Flanigan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 May 2018
  • Very drinkable for those of us who are willing to try a sour now and again but don’t drink it regularly.
    — cleveland, 3 Apr. 2022
  • If the housing market sours, banks could cut off their funding—which doomed some nonbanks in the last crisis.
    — Annamaria Andriotis, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2018
  • Of the five tastes — sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami — sour is one of the most mysterious.
    — Veronique Greenwood, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2018
  • Mraz Brewing was well-known for its award-winning Belgian-style ales and fruit sours.
    — Sacbee.com, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Sweet meets sour in the lemon meringue tart, which is fitting, given that the tart, ever the coquette, swings both sweet and sour.
    — Leah Eskin, chicagotribune.com, 20 Mar. 2018
  • Guests adore the fresh seafood (seacat, barracuda, mahi mahi, tuna), local fruits, rum sours, and the scenery.
    — Dwight Brown, Essence, 20 Dec. 2023

sour

3 of 3 verb
  • The team's victory was soured by an injury to one of their best players.
  • Her disposition has soured in recent years.
  • His experiences have soured him.
  • Jealousy has soured their relationship.
  • That hasn’t been soured for me.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 6 May 2026
  • But over the past year, the mood has soured.
    — Reeves Wiedeman, Curbed, 22 June 2026
  • And maybe that soured Stoops a bit.
    — Chase Goodbread, The Tennessean, 29 Aug. 2025
  • But his opinion has long since soured.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 May 2026
  • This year, May 28 soured again.
    — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 29 May 2026
  • The mood had soured among many of his former colleagues.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
  • But results soured over the past two seasons.
    — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Few things can sour your outdoor fun more than a batch of poison ivy.
    — Caroline Biggs, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
  • That caught him off-guard and soured him on staying in Green Bay.
    — Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2023
  • Belly finds her dream dress, but the moment is soured by the fact that her mom isn’t there.
    — Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • His friends from high school have never heard of it, souring the moment.
    — Jennifer Wilson, The New Republic, 26 July 2023
  • But, later on Sunday, the day soured.
    — Art De Roché, New York Times, 1 June 2026
  • The experience soured her on Prince for the rest of her life.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2023
  • In the decade that followed, relations soured.
    — Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
  • While others sour our mood and increase our risk of depression.
    — Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR, 24 Nov. 2025
  • But the collapse of the bank meant those bets quickly soured, crushing some investors.
    — Joe Rennison, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Relations between the two countries have soured since the coup.
    — Chris Liakos, CNN, 27 Sep. 2023
  • But this experience has soured him.
    — Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Not even a meta ending that pushes that idea to its logical breaking point can sour you on it.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Having a big European business could sour the mix in the months ahead.
    — Carol Ryan, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2022
  • Still, for reasons not fully understood, the talks soured.
    — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 13 May 2026
  • The region’s shortage of beds had soured her on trying to find shelter before storms.
    — Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2024
  • The celebration appears to have soured as the tarp remains in place.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 25 June 2026
  • An influx of younger Latins has transformed its ethnic face, the crime rate has soared and tourism has soured.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
  • But the experience soon soured.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
  • But like many other songs on the project, the memories are soured by the heartbreak that left more than just a bruise on the neck.
    — Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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