sole

¹ American  

[sohl] / soʊl /

adjective

1. being the only one; only.

   the sole living relative.

   Synonyms:

   solitary

2. being the only one of the kind; unsurpassed; unique; matchless.

   the sole brilliance of the gem.

   Synonyms:

   individual

3. belonging or pertaining to one individual or group to the exclusion of all others; exclusive.

   the sole right to the estate.

4. functioning automatically or with independent power.

   the sole authority.

5. Chiefly Law. not married; unmarried.

6. without company or companions; lonely.

   the sole splendor of her life.

7. Archaic. alone.

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sole ² American  

[sohl] / soʊl /

noun

1. the bottom or under surface of the foot.

2. the corresponding under part of a shoe, boot, or the like, or this part exclusive of the heel.

3. the bottom, under surface, or lower part of anything.

4. Carpentry.

   1. the underside of a plane.

   2. soleplate.

5. Golf. the part of the head of the club that touches the ground.

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verb (used with object)

soled, soling

1. to furnish with a sole, as a shoe.

2. Golf. to place the sole of (a club) on the ground, as in preparation for a stroke.

sole ³ American  

[sohl] / soʊl /

noun

• sole,
  plural
• soles
  plural

1. a European flatfish, Solea solea, used for food.

2. any other flatfish of the families Soleidae and Cynoglossidae, having a hooklike snout.

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sole ¹ British  

/ səʊl /

noun

1. the underside of the foot

2. the underside of a shoe

3. 1. the bottom of a furrow

   2. the bottom of a plough

4. the underside of a golf-club head

5. the bottom of an oven, furnace, etc

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verb

1. to provide (a shoe) with a sole

2. golf to rest (the club) on the ground, as when preparing to make a stroke

sole ² British  

/ səʊl /

adjective

1. (prenominal) being the only one; only

2. (prenominal) of or relating to one individual or group and no other

   sole rights on a patent

3. law having no wife or husband See also feme sole

4. an archaic word for solitary

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sole ³ British  

/ səʊl /

noun

1. any tongue-shaped flatfish of the family Soleidae, esp Solea solea ( European sole ): most common in warm seas and highly valued as food fishes

2. any of certain other similar fishes

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• soleness
  noun
• soleless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sole
  plural
• soles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sole¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sol(e), soul(e) “unmarried, single, alone,” from Old French sol, sol(e), sul, from Latin sōlus “alone, on one's own, lonely”

Origin of sole²

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (noun) sole, sol(le), from Old French sole, sol(le), soul, from Vulgar Latin, Medieval Latin sola, from Latin solea “plain sandal (fastened with thongs); sole (fish); foundation (timber),” derivative of solum “base, floor, bottom”

Origin of sole³

First recorded in 1250–1300; see origin at sole ² ( def. )

Explanation

Sole means not shared with others. If it's your sole responsibility to make the chocolate cake for a party, it's all on you. Sole comes from the Latin solus, meaning "alone," and it can describe being the only person involved in something, like being the sole member of the Special People Club. As a noun, your sole is the bottom of your foot. If you order sole in a restaurant, you'll get a flat fish that looks like the bottom of your shoe. Although they sound alike, if you order the soul, the waitperson might send you to a church down the street.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sole soles soled soling

However, his sole Emmy win was for voicing Captain Hook in the 1991 animated children’s series “Peter Pan & the Pirates.”

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

An ill homeowner can file a quitclaim deed to get their name off a jointly owned property, or if they are the sole owner, they can transfer the deed to another person.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

“I’ve basically gotten a Ph.D. over the last year in tariffs because I feel like that’s my sole job,” Mary Buchzeiger, CEO of the Michigan-based auto parts supplier Lucerne International, told a local radio station.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Adura, a joint venture formed by the merger of UK offshore operations of Britain's Shell and Norway's Equinor, is the sole owner of Jackdaw and majority owner of Rosebank.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Felix pulled at the sole of his right shoe.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

The shoes sport chunky soles with rigid, curved carbon plates and lightweight foam, and Nike asserts they improve running economy by as much as 4%.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

Each hub brought together suppliers of laces, soles and fabric, as well as logistics firms that help to quickly turn designs into store-ready products and ship them out.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026

When super shoes debuted a decade ago, their chunky soles and springy inside plates revolutionized the world of running.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

She will re-glue the soles of her shoes so they last a little longer.

From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2026

Their high-pitched peeping vibrated in my ears, and the soles of my shoes picked up layers of crappy chicken manure, but it was impossible to avoid.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Early on, they were “skintight,” like a soled sock that crept up the leg.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2018

This is also where you buy your black plastic three-litre canteens and your electrolyte powder and the plimsolls soled with carpet that leave no prints.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 1, 2017

Norman stood with his legs spread wide and his arms and legs stiff, the clubhead soled about a foot behind the ball.

From Golf Digest ● Oct. 16, 2013

Any thinly soled sneakers or comfortable workout shoes will do.

From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2011

She’s wearing black stockings although it’s summer, and sandals, although the sandals are not dainty women’s summer sandals, but thick- soled and artistic, with primitive peasant buckles.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

But instead of soling the clubhead as usual, set it in front of the ball.

From Golf Digest ● Feb. 8, 2018

"I wonder if we can't get something out of the lumber company," mused the younger brother, as he gazed meditatively at his boots, which were sadly in need of soling and heeling.

From To Alaska for Gold The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon by Edward Stratemeyer

For the soling of them were made use of eleven hundred hides of brown cows, shapen like the tail of a keeling.

From Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 1 by Peter Anthony Motteux

What do you think I was charged for soling and heeling shoes?

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, February 12, 1919 by Various

Josephine cut recklessly into the rich dark cake that stood for her winter gloves or the soling and heeling of Constantia's only respectable shoes.

From The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield

Related Words

• exclusive
• lone
• one and only
• remaining