solo

noun so·lo \ ˈsō-(ˌ)lō \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: solo in a Sentence

Definition of solo

plural solos

1 or plural soli play \ˈsō-(ˌ)lē\

a : a musical composition for a single voice or instrument with or without accompaniment

b : the featured part of a concerto or similar work

2 : a performance in which the performer has no partner or associate : something undertaken or done alone

a student pilot's first solo

3 : any of several card games in which a player elects to play without a partner against the other players

See solo defined for English-language learners

See solo defined for kids

Examples of solo in a Sentence

She is learning to fly and she flew her first solo yesterday.

Recent Examples of solo from the Web

The album itself has a songwriter-y feel with elements of indie folk, some groovier sounds and music reminiscent of David’s earlier solo work.

— gail mitchell, Billboard, "Anthony Hamilton, Snarky Puppy and More Rock the Playboy Jazz Festival," 10 June 2018
Whit Merrifield scored on a wild pitch and Salvador Perez hit a solo homer off Sean Manea in the third inning, but the A's starter allowed minimal damage on six hits.

— maria torres, kansascity, "Royals lose again to A's and finish seven-game road trip 1-6," 10 June 2018
Sommesi had answered with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the fifth for the 8-3 lead, setting the stage for the fateful seventh.

— rick armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Knockout punch: Kaneland puts Montini ‘on the ropes’ before losing in state championship game," 9 June 2018
Lewis Brinson launched two solo homers for Miami, the second multihomer game of his career.

— joe harris, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Four Marlins combine for nine extra-base hits in Miami rout of host Cardinals," 7 June 2018
Cromwell's solo show, Looking Back-Moving Forward: Retrospective II, is comprised of new work that fuses ideas from past and present.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 5 June 2018
Lake Central took a 3-1 lead in the fifth on a solo homer by Evan Hand.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Take that: Chris Torres' RBI double in ninth lifts Chesterton past Lake Central in regional semifinals," 3 June 2018
DePonte added to the Huskies’ hysteria in the fifth with a towering solo homer off Parker that landed in the centerfield bleachers.

— michael kinney, The Seattle Times, "Defending champs, so what? UW softball shuts out Oklahoma again to clinch WCWS finals berth," 3 June 2018
The ’60s Don Reed’s solo show recounts his entertaining and at-times outrageous coming-of-age journey, focusing on his formative years in a 1960s Oakland grammar school.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of May 27," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'solo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of solo

Italian, from solo alone, from Latin solus

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First Known Use: 1695

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

solo

adverb

Definition of solo

: without a companion : alone

fly solo

Recent Examples of solo from the Web

Sia, a native of Australia, sang in an acid jazz band called Crisp and performed backup vocals for Jamiroquai before going solo.

— jack flemming, latimes.com, "Singer Sia sells her Echo Park bungalow for $980,000," 4 June 2018
Eventually the two each went solo, and Pusha signed with GOOD Music, a notable record label founded by Kanye West in 2004 and boasting a litany of famed artists from Common to Big Sean to Kid Cudi.

— aja romano, Vox, "Pusha T vs. Drake: the long history of rap’s feud of the moment," 31 May 2018
The group became a huge success, and Cabello ended up going solo.

— megan friedman, Country Living, "Kelly Clarkson and Simon Cowell Had an ‘American Idol’ Reunion at the Billboard Awards," 21 May 2018
Years before Kylie Jenner was even born, Cher made an everyday option out of wigs, ditching her signature great lengths for a swingy flapper bob as a visual marker of independence, and going solo in 1975.

— mackenzie wagoner, Vogue, "Happy Birthday, Cher! Celebrating the Icon's 16 Best Hair Moments," 20 May 2018
But perhaps the longest moment came in the form of a nine-minute-long cello solo by 19-year-old Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

— amanda arnold, The Cut, "How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Picked the 19-Year-Old Royal Wedding Cellist," 19 May 2018
In Mexico City, Mujica had said the capital was the caravan’s last official stop, but many of the migrants feared going solo on the dangerous final leg north and decided to keep travelling en masse.

— Washington Post, "Remnants of migrant caravan move toward US-Mexico border," 19 Apr. 2018
When Pallotta himself goes solo with it, the results get much odder, almost like an atmospheric horror flick.

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "More Human Than Human Documentarians Discuss the Film's AI Lessons," 30 Apr. 2018
In Mexico City, Mujica had said the capital was the caravan’s last official stop, but many of the migrants feared going solo on the dangerous final leg north and decided to keep travelling en masse.

— Washington Post, "Remnants of migrant caravan move toward US-Mexico border," 19 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of solo

1712

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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solo

adjective

Definition of solo

1 : accommodating one person

a solo canoe

2 : of, relating to, or being a solo

a solo performance

a solo flight

3 : hit with no runners on base

a solo home run

See solo defined for English-language learners

Examples of solo in a Sentence

a student pilot's first solo flight
She left the band last year and started a solo career.
He just issued his first solo album.

Recent Examples of solo from the Web

The ball pushed back and back, propelled by serendipitous winds, and over the wall for a solo home run, his 24th of the season.

— nick moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Bocchi, Clemens lead Texas to CWS for 36th time," 11 June 2018
His only blemish was allowing a solo home run to Yan Gomes in the third inning.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers' Mike Fiers brilliant in walk-off win vs. Tribe, 4-2 (12 innings)," 9 June 2018
Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar cranked his third solo home run of the year to give the Royals a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

— maria torres, kansascity, "Athletics rally in sixth to beat Royals, Jason Hammel for fifth straight loss," 7 June 2018
Stanton took his revenge a step further with a 456-foot solo home run in the sixth inning.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Tigers pitcher calls Giancarlo Stanton's antics 'childish' after bat flip and staredown," 5 June 2018
David Peralta added a solo home run in the eighth inning to give him three straight games with a homer.

— richard morin, azcentral, "RHP Matt Koch shuts down Marlins, making case to stay in Diamondbacks rotation," 3 June 2018
Richardson crushed a solo home run, traveling more than 355 feet over the right-center field fence, in the top of the first.

— rich torress, Indianapolis Star, "IHSAA baseball: Fishers outlasts Carroll in extras for first regional title," 2 June 2018
In his first solo exhibition at the gallery, Okón, who hails from Mexico City and is known for weaving fact and fiction into works that touch broadly on politics and history, is presenting two video installations and a series of drawings.

— carolina a. miranda, latimes.com, "Datebook: Baskets inspired by math, iconic Los Angeles images and photos of people getting expressive," 24 May 2018
Upon returning to New York in the early ’80s, Barney earned herself a spot in the Whitney Biennial and just a few years later in 1991, she was invited to showcase her work in solo exhibition at the MoMA.

— mary dellas, The Cut, "5 Must-See Artists at Frieze New York This Weekend," 1 May 2018

First Known Use of solo

1774

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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solo Synonyms

Phrases

on one's own;

solo

verb

Definition of solo

soloed; soloing play \ˈsō-(ˌ)lō-iŋ, -lə-wiŋ\

intransitive verb

: to perform by oneself: such as

a : to perform a musical solo

b : to fly an airplane without one's instructor on board

transitive verb

1 : to fly (an aircraft) alone

2 : to climb (something, such as a mountain) alone

See solo defined for English-language learners

Examples of solo in a Sentence

The guitarist solos on practically every song.
She soloed for the first time yesterday.

Recent Examples of solo from the Web

Garrison, who solos with a bow, less plays notes than cyclonic, rapidly accelerating dust-devils of sound.

— morgan enos, Billboard, "Newly Found 1963 John Coltrane Album to Be Released, Listen to a Never-Before-Heard Track," 8 June 2018
Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Richard Amoroso will solo in sections of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and the ensemble will also perform music of Franck, Saint-Saëns, Johann Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and Haydn’s Symphony No.

— Philly.com, "Art Star Craft Bazaar, Love Your Park Week, New Hope Celebrates Pride, and other great events, May 11-18," 9 May 2018
Perry’s soloing was a melodic, piercing howl atop the latter’s elephantine riff.

— marc hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, "Joe Perry rocks his way at House of Blues," 19 Apr. 2018
The cellist who soloed at the concert was Cleveland native Alisa Weilerstein.

— charlene paparizos, cleveland.com, "Chagrin Falls High School Music Students Attend Cleveland Orchestra Concert: Community Voices," 13 Apr. 2018
The wave has been strong enough to vault star merger bankers including Morgan Stanley’s Paul Taubman and Citigroup ’s Michael Klein to solo careers running their own boutique firms.

— liz hoffman, WSJ, "Investment Bankers, Wall Street’s Postcrisis Heroes, Face Growth Puzzle," 31 Mar. 2018
And, indeed, while the company built its name by offering flexible, by-the-month leases and high-level services to solo workers and small startups, big-name companies make up a growing share of the customer base.

— tim logan, BostonGlobe.com, "WeWork expands again, leasing space for 1,700 desks in the Back Bay," 8 Mar. 2018
Some recommended restaurants inside hotels, where staff may be more used to solo business travelers.

— ann maloney, NOLA.com, "Eating solo in New Orleans? The best spots for one," 23 Jan. 2018
How did Camila go from girl group refugee to solo star with a bona fide hit in less than a year?

— joe lynch, Billboard, "From Girl Group Veteran to Solo Star: How Camila Cabello Scored Her Biggest Hit Yet With 'Havana'," 6 Nov. 2017

First Known Use of solo

1886

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

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SOLO Defined for English Language Learners

solo

noun

Definition of solo for English Language Learners

: a piece of music that is performed by one singer or musician
: something that is done without another person

solo

adjective

Definition of solo for English Language Learners

: done without another person
: involving or done by a single performer instead of a group
baseball : hit with no runners on base

solo

verb

Definition of solo for English Language Learners

: to perform a piece of music without another singer or musician
: to fly an airplane without an instructor

SOLO Defined for Kids

solo

noun so·lo \ ˈsō-lō \

Definition of solo for Students

plural solos

1 : a piece of music performed by one singer or musician

a piano solo

2 : an action done alone

The pilot flew his first solo.

solo

adverb or adjective

Definition of solo for Students

: without another person : alone

fly solo

a solo dancer

solo

verb

Definition of solo for Students

soloed; soloing

: to do something (as perform music or fly an airplane) alone or without an instructor

Learn More about solo

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for solo Spanish Central: Translation of solo Nglish: Translation of solo for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of solo for Arabic speakers

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solo

Definition of solo

Examples of solo in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of solo

Other Performing Arts Terms

solo

Definition of solo

Recent Examples of solo from the Web

First Known Use of solo

solo

Definition of solo

Examples of solo in a Sentence

Recent Examples of solo from the Web

First Known Use of solo

solo Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Related Words

Phrases

solo

Definition of solo

Examples of solo in a Sentence

Recent Examples of solo from the Web

First Known Use of solo

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SOLO Defined for English Language Learners

solo

Definition of solo for English Language Learners

solo

Definition of solo for English Language Learners

solo

Definition of solo for English Language Learners

SOLO Defined for Kids

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Definition of solo for Students

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