# soup

/ˈsup/ (US) · /sˈuːp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/soup
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. liquid food

noun · CEFR A1

a liquid food made by boiling meat, vegetables, or fish in water.

For teachers: a liquid food preparation typically served warm, made by combining ingredients such as meat or vegetables with stock, juice, or water.

- She made a big pot of vegetable soup for lunch on the rainy afternoon.
- The chef prepared a chilled gazpacho soup, blending ripe tomatoes with cucumbers and peppers to create a refreshing starter for the summer menu.

### 2. thick mixture

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a thick or messy mixture of different things, like chemicals or mud.

For teachers: a thick, liquid mixture or substance, often used to describe chemical solutions or dense atmospheric conditions like heavy fog.

- The thick fog was like a pea soup, making it impossible to see the road.
- The industrial runoff had turned the local pond into a toxic soup of chemicals and heavy metals, prompting an immediate environmental investigation.

### 3. primordial soup

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Technical

the mixture of chemicals that scientists believe started life on Earth.

For teachers: the rich mixture of organic compounds in the Earth's early oceans from which life is hypothesized to have originated.

- Scientists study how the first cells formed in the primordial soup billions of years ago.
- The theory suggests that lightning strikes provided the energy necessary to spark chemical reactions within the primordial soup of the early Hadean eon.

### 4. developing film

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Slang

to process photographic film using chemicals.

For teachers: to develop photographic film by immersing it in a series of chemical solutions.

- He spent the whole night in the darkroom souping the rolls of film from the wedding.
- The photographer preferred souping his own black-and-white negatives to ensure total control over the contrast and grain of the final prints.

## Examples

- I like to eat hot tomato soup on cold days.
- The chef prepares a fresh vegetable soup every morning using ingredients from the local market.
- While clear broths are often served as light starters, thicker soups containing legumes or grains provide enough nutritional density to function as a complete meal.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.