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

And the terms are being rewritten in real time by the sole signatory.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

"I'm the sole survivor of my family," said Yousef Abu Sharia, standing nearby.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Hearn’s team had already asked the presiding judge to release transcripts from the grand jury proceedings, saying testimony from the government’s sole witness before the panel raises questions about the sufficiency of the evidence presented.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

In-N-Out revealed it would open the Twin Falls location — the sole one in the city — earlier this year, along with five other locations across California, Arizona, Utah and Tennessee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

The pharmacist always made Doctor Copeland sole judge of the papers and the winner was announced at the Christmas party.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

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

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

He was last seen wearing a quilted green-brown Barbour jacket over a beige woollen jumper, with navy chinos and brown leather trainers with white soles.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026

"The soles had a diamond design—just like my dad's old boots," she said.

From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene

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

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

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

If you know naught of soling, I understand nothing of sausages; you, who cut bad leather on the slant to make it look stout and deceive the country yokels.

From The Eleven Comedies, Volume 1 by Aristophanes

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

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

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 Henry Ford

Related Words

• exclusive
• lone
• one and only
• remaining