south of

south of — idiom

1. less than a particular number or amount, used informally to talk about age, pric

1.慣用語B2
釋義

less than a particular number or amount, used informally to talk about age, price, temperature, or other numerical values that are lower than a stated point.

例句

Walid is still south of thirty, but he has already become a senior manager.

informal use with age: be + south of + age

Luca's family sold their old car for south of five thousand dollars.

south of + price

同義詞
  • under

    standard and neutral; works in any register

  • below

    slightly more formal than south of, used with any numerical scale

  • less than

    the literal paraphrase; fully neutral and universal

反義詞
  • north of

    informal opposite, meaning 'more than'

  • over

    neutral opposite, used in any register

  • above

    neutral opposite with numerical scales

文法句型

south of + number/amount

用法筆記

This phrase is informal and used mainly in US English. It almost always appears before a specific number or age. There is a parallel expression north of meaning 'more than' (e.g. 'He is north of sixty'). Avoid using south of with abstract concepts — pair it with a concrete numerical value.

常見錯誤

❌His skills are south of average.
✅His score was south of fifty points.
💡south of must be used with a concrete number, not an abstract comparison.