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

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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. )

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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

They may send only three: Rep. Troy Carter, a Black Democrat, handily held his seat in the sole remaining majority-Black district.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

The sole purpose of fashion, one could argue, is to impose social conformity.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately two in five Americans meet the criteria for obesity when BMI is used as the sole measure.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

The sole occupant of the Airbus was identified as Tyler Delane Sturdevant, 38, of Newberg, Oregon.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Besides, I wished to touch no deep-thrilling chord—to open no fresh well of emotion in his heart: my sole present aim was to cheer him.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

The shoes are known for their clean design, lightweight feel and unmistakable soles, including some with those hollow pods that resemble a toothy smile.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Her brother-in-law evacuated a subway stop near the Twin Towers and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge as the soles of his shoes melted from the ground heat, she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 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

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

From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2026

They drove in silence for a mile, past the Universal Laundry and Abdul Rahman’s shoe repair shop where Liyana’s favorite beat-up American loafers were currently taking a vacation, awaiting new soles.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

Then all you have to do is bend forward from the hips until your clubhead is soled behind the ball.

From Golf Digest ● Feb. 13, 2019

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

It would be almost impossible to miss the elegance of the Milanese in summer, the women in sleeveless shifts and high-heeled sandals, the men in brightlycolored cotton trousers and rubber soled driving shoes.

From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2012

He was downcast and burdened with self-approach when he stepped without noise from the colonel’s office on his rubber- soled and rubber-heeled brown shoes.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

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

From Golf Digest ● Feb. 8, 2018

Vat do you mean vid your bootless errands, and your soling and healing?

From The Fatal Boots by William Makepeace Thackeray

The greater part of the next day Jerome passed, as usual, soling shoes in Ozias Lamb's shop.

From Jerome, A Poor Man A Novel by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman

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

Still it was a flexible material and was used, the foreman told Peter, for soling women’s shoes.

From The Story of Leather by Sara Ware Bassett

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Related Words

• exclusive
• lone
• one and only
• remaining

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