sound out
US /saʊnd aʊt/
UK /saʊnd aʊt/
1.
to pronounce a word by speaking each letter or part separately
:
•
The teacher asked the student to sound out the difficult word.
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I had to sound out the new name to make sure I pronounced it correctly.
2.
to try to find out what someone thinks or feels about something by talking to them
:
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I need to sound out my colleagues about the new proposal before presenting it to the boss.
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She decided to sound out her parents about moving abroad.