sole

1 of 4

adjective

ˈsōl 

1

a

: being the only one

she was her mother's sole support

b

: having no sharer

2

: functioning independently and without assistance or interference

let conscience be the sole judge

3

: belonging exclusively or otherwise limited to one usually specified individual, unit, or group

4

: not married

—used chiefly of women

5

archaic : having no companion : solitary

soleness

ˈsōl-nəs 

noun

sole

2 of 4

noun (1)

1

a

: the undersurface of a foot

b

: the part of an item of footwear on which the sole rests and upon which the wearer treads

2

: the usually flat or flattened bottom or lower part of something or the base on which something rests

soled

ˈsōld 

adjective

sole

3 of 4

verb

soled; soling

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with a sole

sole a shoe

2

: to place the sole of (a golf club) on the ground

sole

4 of 4

noun (2)

: any of various flatfishes (family Soleidae) having a small mouth, small or rudimentary fins, and small eyes placed close together and including important food fishes (such as the European Dover sole)

also : any of various mostly market flatfishes (such as lemon sole) of other families (such as Pleuronectidae)

Synonyms

Adjective

• exclusive
• single
• unshared

Examples of sole in a Sentence

Adjective

He became the sole heir to the property.

The sole aim of the program is to help the poor.

She was the sole survivor of the tragedy.

Icy roads were the sole cause of the accident.

He has sole jurisdiction of the area.

Verb

My shoes need to be soled.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

As the rounds of secret voting go on, the public's sole way of keeping up with the process is via smoke coming out of the Sistine Chapel's chimney. —Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025

In 1988, the school’s board concluded a search for a new president and selected the sole non-deaf candidate. —David Owen, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025

Noun

The thick foam sole reduces pressure on the feet, while the rocker sole helps make movement easier and feel more natural. —Kristine Thomason, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2025

The sole returnee this year is mall magnate Desmond Lim Siew Choon, whose Pavilion Reit has benefited from higher rentals. —Anu Raghunathan, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

Verb

Rubber soled and perfect for a boat my favorite espadrille maker is famed Spanish house, Castañer. —Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, alone, from Anglo-French sul, soul, seul, from Latin solus

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French sole, soele, from Latin solea sandal; akin to Latin solum base, ground, soil

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin solea sandal, a flatfish

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sole

• Dover sole
• half sole
• lemon sole
• petrale sole
• platform sole
• rex sole
• sole proprietorship

Rhymes for sole

• boal
• bole
• bowl
• coal
• droll
• foal
• goal
• hole
• knoll
• kol
• mole
• noll

Kids Definition

sole

1 of 4 noun

ˈsōl 

1

: the underside of a foot

2

: the part of footwear on which the sole of the foot rests

soled

ˈsōld

adjective

sole

2 of 4 verb

soled; soling

: to furnish with a sole

sole shoes

sole

3 of 4 noun

: any of various flatfishes that have a small mouth, small fins, and small closely set eyes and that include some fishes used for food

sole

4 of 4 adjective

1

archaic : having no companion : alone

2

a

: having no sharer

sole owner

b

: being the only one

3

: acting independently and without assistance or interference

the sole judge

4

: belonging only to the one person, unit, or group named

given sole authority

soleness noun

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sole "the underside of the foot or shoe," from early French sole (same meaning), from Latin solea "sandal"

Noun

Middle English sole "a type of flatfish," from early French sole (same meaning), from Latin solea "sandal, a flatfish"

Adjective

Middle English sole "alone," from early French seul (same meaning), from Latin solus "alone" — related to desolate, solitude, solo

Medical Definition

sole

noun

ˈsōl 

1

: the undersurface of a foot

2

: the somewhat concave plate of moderately dense horn that covers the lower surface of the coffin bone of the horse, partly surrounds the frog, and is bounded externally by the wall

Legal Definition

sole

adjective

: belonging exclusively or otherwise limited to one usually specified individual, unit, or group