free solo
noun
plural free solos
rock climbing
: a climb in which a climber uses no artificial aids for support and has no rope or other safety equipment for protection in case of a fall
Before attempting his free solo of Moonlight Buttress, [Alex] Honnold rehearsed the most challenging pitch on rope repeatedly, until he had memorized each move.—
Nathaniel Rich
Nathaniel RichHe's attempting to do something that professional rock climbers have long thought was impossible—a "free solo" ascent of the world's most iconic cliff. That means he is alone and climbing without a rope as he inches his way up more than half a mile of sheer rock.—Mark Synnott
Mark Synnott
free soloist
noun
plural free soloists
Aside from good sneakers and a bit of friction-inducing chalk on the palms, there is nothing to prevent a free soloist from a fatal fall.
—Rafer Guzmán
Rafer Guzmán
Honnold … has become the world's pre-eminent free soloist, traveling around the world to scale seemingly unscalable mountains.
—G. Allen Johnson
G. Allen Johnson
Examples of free solo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Honnold was the first to free solo Yosemite’s El Capitan.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
In 2008, Honnold became the first person to free solo Half Dome in Yosemite, a feat Potter was training for.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
Nitya also performed a free solo routine to mark her final season before college.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Dean Potter was one of the most notable names in the world of climbing, a free solo pioneer who courted controversy by scaling rock formations not meant for humans.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
Exposing your skin becomes a lifestyle choice in the same risk-seeking category as free solo rock climbing.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Drift, a documentary about free solo skyscraper climber-photographer Isaac Wright, aka Drift, is so obviously destined to be the precursor of a future biopic that its interviewees are already discussing that outcome in the film.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Skyscraper Live saw Free Solo climber Alex Honnold scale the Taiwan skyscraper Taipei 101 without the use of ropes, which was claimed to be the highest free solo climb of an urban structure.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
The mortality rate for free solo climbers is a fact Honnold casually accepts.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
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John Meyer, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
In 2008, Honnold became the first person to free solo Half Dome in Yosemite, a feat Potter was training for.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
Nitya also performed a free solo routine to mark her final season before college.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Dean Potter was one of the most notable names in the world of climbing, a free solo pioneer who courted controversy by scaling rock formations not meant for humans.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
Exposing your skin becomes a lifestyle choice in the same risk-seeking category as free solo rock climbing.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Drift, a documentary about free solo skyscraper climber-photographer Isaac Wright, aka Drift, is so obviously destined to be the precursor of a future biopic that its interviewees are already discussing that outcome in the film.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Skyscraper Live saw Free Solo climber Alex Honnold scale the Taiwan skyscraper Taipei 101 without the use of ropes, which was claimed to be the highest free solo climb of an urban structure.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
The mortality rate for free solo climbers is a fact Honnold casually accepts.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Free solo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20solo. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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