What does SOS mean?

Definitions for SOS
ˈɛsˌoʊˈɛssos

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word SOS.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. SOSnoun

    an internationally recognized distress signal in radio code

Wiktionary

  1. SOSnoun

    The conventional Morse code call made by a ship in distress.

    The keel has been scuppered uE000130217uE001 send out an SOS.

  2. SOSnoun

    a children's game involving placing S's and O's on a grid, and collecting points by creating an "SOS" sequence, played with alternating turns by opponents.

  3. Etymology: Contraction of so + is

Wikipedia

  1. SOS

    SOS is a Morse code distress signal (▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄), used internationally, that was originally established for maritime use. In formal notation SOS is written with an overscore line, to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" are transmitted as a unbroken sequence of three dots / three dashes / three dots, with no spaces between the letters. In International Morse Code three dots form the letter "S" and three dashes make the letter "O", so "S O S" became a common way to remember the order of the dots and dashes. (IWB, VZE, 3B, and V7 form equivalent sequences, but traditionally SOS is the easiest to remember.) Although SOS officially is just a distinctive Morse code sequence that is not an abbreviation for anything, in popular usage it is associated with phrases such as "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship". Moreover, due to its high profile use in emergencies, the phrase "SOS" has entered general usage to informally indicate a crisis or the need for action. SOS originated in German government maritime radio regulations adopted effective 1 April 1905. It became a worldwide standard when it was included in the service regulations of the first International Radiotelegraph Convention signed on 3 November 1906, which became effective on 1 July 1908. In modern terminology, SOS is a Morse "procedural signal" or "prosign", used as a start-of-message mark for transmissions requesting assistance when loss of life or catastrophic loss of property is imminent. Other prefixes are used for mechanical breakdowns, requests for medical assistance, and a relayed distress signal originally sent by another station. SOS remained the maritime radio distress signal until 1999, when it was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.SOS is still recognized as a standard distress signal that may be used with any signaling method. It has been used as a visual distress signal, consisting of three short/three long/three short flashes of light, such as from a survival mirror. In some cases the individual letters "S O S" have been spelled out, for example, stamped in a snowbank or formed out of logs on a beach. The fact that "S O S" can be read right side up as well as upside down (as an ambigram) is an advantage for visual recognition.

ChatGPT

  1. sos

    "SOS" is an internationally recognized distress signal in Morse code, initially introduced by the German government in radio communications. It consists of three short signals, followed by three long signals, then three short signals again ( ... --- ... ). Despite popular beliefs, SOS does not stand for any specific phrase or words; it was chosen for its simplicity and ease of recognition. However, it is often associated with phrases like "Save Our Souls" or "Save Our Ship" to signify emergencies or requests for help.

Wikidata

  1. SOS

    SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal. This distress signal was first adopted by the German government in radio regulations effective April 1, 1905, and became the worldwide standard under the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention, which was signed on November 3, 1906 and became effective on July 1, 1908. SOS remained the maritime radio distress signal until 1999, when it was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress Safety System. SOS is still recognized as a visual distress signal. From the beginning, the SOS distress signal has really consisted of a continuous sequence of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits, all run together without letter spacing. In International Morse Code, three dits form the letter S, and three dahs make the letter O, so "SOS" became an easy way to remember the order of the dits and dahs. In modern terminology, SOS is a Morse "procedural signal" or "prosign", and the formal way to write it is with a bar above the letters: SOS. In popular usage, SOS became associated with such phrases as "save our ship", "save our souls" and "send out succour". These may be regarded as mnemonics, but SOS does not actually stand for anything and is not an abbreviation, acronym or initialism. In fact SOS is only one of several ways that the combination could have been written; VTB, for example, would produce exactly the same sound, but SOS was chosen to describe this combination. SOS is the only 9-element signal in Morse code, making it more easily recognisable, as no other symbol uses more than 8 elements.

Editors Contribution

  1. SOS

    In my era in US Military it met, "sh*t on a shingle ". Popular military meal " Cream beef on toast".


    Submitted by rinat on November 11, 2019  

Suggested Resources

  1. sos

    Song lyrics by sos -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by sos on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. SOS

    What does SOS stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the SOS acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. SOS

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Sos is ranked #62903 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Sos surname appeared 318 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Sos.

    56.2% or 179 total occurrences were White.
    35.8% or 114 total occurrences were Asian.
    6.6% or 21 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.

Matched Categories

How to pronounce SOS?

How to say SOS in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of SOS in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of SOS in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of SOS in a Sentence

  1. Aloe Blacc:

    I feel like' SOS' was a song that was probably ahead of its time for when he wrote it, he wrote these lyrics obviously about some of his battles and I think it's a really important topic to approach and to share... to give people the words to be able to say,' I need help.'.

  2. Katie Hobbs:

    We have informed the SOS committee that the referendum will not qualify for the 2024 General Election Ballot. While the statutorily required review continues, our office has inspected enough petitions signatures to confirm that the 118,823 signature minimum will not be met.

  3. Laura Boldrini:

    These women are shouting for help, they are sending out an SOS.

  4. United States:

    We want to send an SOS to the American people and to other United States military veterans to raise awareness about what's going on with the deportation of members of our military and the hardships that many of them who honorably served in the US armed forces face.

  5. South Australia Police:

    By the time they were able to get out there it was dark, so they found the SOS on the ground, but then they also found a hoodie jacket which obviously belonged to the lady.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

SOS#10000#15076#100000

Translations for SOS

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"SOS." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/SOS>.

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