the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.
the spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come.
arguing the immortality of the soul.
the disembodied spirit of a deceased person.
He feared the soul of the deceased would haunt him.
the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments.
a human being; person.
high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage, etc.
the animating principle; the essential element or part of something.
the inspirer or moving spirit of some action, movement, etc.
the embodiment of some quality.
He was the very soul of tact.
(initial capital letter) God; the divine source of all identity and individuality.
shared ethnic awareness and pride among Black people, especially Black Americans.
deeply felt emotion, as conveyed or expressed by a performer or artist.
the spirit or immaterial part of man, the seat of human personality, intellect, will, and emotions, regarded as an entity that survives the body after death
Christianity the spiritual part of a person, capable of redemption from the power of sin through divine grace
the essential part or fundamental nature of anything
a person's feelings or moral nature as distinct from other faculties
Also called: soul music. a type of Black music resulting from the addition of jazz, gospel, and pop elements to the urban blues style
( as modifier )
a soul singer
(modifier) of or relating to Black Americans and their culture
soul brother
soul food
nobility of spirit or temperament
a man of great soul and courage
an inspiring spirit or leading figure, as of a cause or movement
a person regarded as typifying some characteristic or quality
the soul of discretion
a person; individual
an honest soul
See life
an exclamation of surprise
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sāwl, sāwol; cognate with Dutch ziel, German Seele, Old Norse sāl, Gothic saiwala
The noun soul can mean an individual human being, but it can also mean essence of a human being. If you believe the soul is immortal, you believe that even when your physical body dies, some other part of you lives on. Soul shows up in various forms in all Nordic and Germanic languages, but no one knows where it originated, just like the whole idea of the soul. Philosophers and theologians have debated the exact definition of soul for ages, but it always stands for that ineffable part of a human unlimited by the body, the grandest, deepest part. Soul music is a popular form of gospel, and if you "have soul," you really feel what it is to be alive.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"There's not a soul around," Cecile Maumy said the the Cap-Ferret ferry terminal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The loss has emptied his soul, leaving only the haunting impact of the unending trauma, and legacy, of war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The 10 Freeway was magically devoid of traffic on this gray Saturday morning, and if my car had a soul, it would be like that of a racehorse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Rose subsequently wrote: "You've given 10% of what I'm owed. 100% of my soul gone."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But it was still All Hallows’ Eve, every door willing to receive his soul.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
"Soul, purpose and good energy" were among the key messages Alonso highlighted in his first in-house interview.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Fanone -- a former Trump supporter -- has spoken repeatedly about the trauma he experienced during the uprising, including in his 2022 memoir "Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop's Battle for America's Soul."
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
“It’s nice. It’s cute, it’s original,” notes one of the Soul Steppers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Soul and funk band Maze, which was fronted by the late Frankie Beverly, shared some love for Bryson on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
And despite Clement’s radical rhetoric and carefully arranged Soul Brother appearance, Riddick had already heard who the real militant in Durham was, and he watched her working her people for a few more seconds.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Science can explain the world around us, but magic helps us appreciate the wonder in the atomic arrangement of nature, chance meetings with open-hearted souls and kindness without expectation of anything in return.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
He returns home in beggar’s clothes with a plan to pay penance to the scores of souls he unjustly sent to the underworld.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
There’s an old gambler’s aphorism beloved by wise souls from Amarillo Slim to Warren Buffett that warns: “If you look around the poker table and can’t identify the mark, it’s you.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Echoing the words of countless souls who’ve been taken by its skyline, he gushed that “New York itself is a work of art, a complete work of art.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
“Isn’t this where souls leap into the afterlife?”
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
