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

Sayce says it was important to give back to his community and was the sole reason for opening Mentivity in the first place.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The recent season of “The Gilded Age,” for one, merits more individual acting notices than the sole nomination for Carrie Coon in the lead actress race.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

In May, a New Glenn rocket exploded on the company’s sole launchpad, which is located in the Cape Canaveral, Fla., area.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Annemarie Wiley now has sole custody of the children and her husband was given no visitation time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

The committee, created by the Continental Congress, was really a spy agency, set up “for the sole purpose of Corresponding with our friends in Great Britain, Ireland and other parts of the world.”

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

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

A decade ago, Nike created mysterious prototypes featuring giant soles and rigid interior plates that functioned like springs, unleashing the “super shoe” era across the sport.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

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

From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2026

Then I wiped the soles dry with a paper towel and put my sneakers back on.

From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea

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

The robot rose erect smoothly and his thickly sponge-rubber soled feet made no noise as he followed Powell.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

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

From Golf Digest ● Feb. 8, 2018

A friendly cobbler had taught him how to make boots and shoes, new soling and mending; and he once had the courage to suspend over his door the sign of a shoemaker's shop.

From Fifty-Two Stories For Girls by Miles, Alfred H. (Alfred Henry)

"The boots want soling," cried the sick sailor in a deep voice.

From The House with the Mezzanine and Other Stories by Cannan, Gilbert

Seldom does the cobbler take up with the new-fangled way of soling shoes, and seldom does the artisan willingly take up with new methods in his trade.

From My Life and Work by Ford, Henry

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 Mansfield, Katherine

Related Words

• exclusive
• lone
• one and only
• remaining