soul

1 of 2

noun

1
: the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life
2
a
: the spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all rational and spiritual beings, or the universe
b
capitalized Christian Science : god sense 1b
3
: a person's total self
4
a
: an active or essential part
b
: a moving spirit : leader
5
a
: the moral and emotional nature of human beings
b
: the quality that arouses emotion and sentiment
c
: spiritual or moral force : fervor
6
: person
not a soul in sight
7
: personification
she is the soul of integrity
8
a
: a strong positive feeling (as of intense sensitivity and emotional fervor) conveyed especially by African American performers
b
: cultural consciousness and pride among people of African heritage
d

soul

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Black Americans or their culture
It will feature various local musicians such as Faithe, Rashawn Stallworth and Jamal Steele, all who embody a hip-hop and soul style to their music.Kamal Morgan
see also soul brother, soul food, soul music, soul sister

Examples of soul in a Sentence

Noun the souls of the dead He could not escape the guilt that he felt in the inner recesses of his soul. Some poor soul was asking for handouts on the street. a village of barely a hundred souls
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Jackie Shane, the Black Toronto soul singer and trans pioneer, finally gets her flowers in a new documentary directed by Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 6 Mar. 2024 Among them are psychedelic soul band Black Pumas; 10-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan; rapper Big Boi; New Orleans trombonist and trumpeter Trombone Shorty; five-time Grammy winning jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding; funk group Lettuce; jazz singer Samara Joy and St. Louis rapper Chingy. The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024 In a statement, Phelan called the runoff a battle for the soul of his district. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 Her character sings, cries and endures a Greek tragedy of a downfall, but instead of being a caricature, Chastain finds the soul of a complex, good-hearted woman. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 God rest the soul of Aaron Bushnell, the 25-year-old in the Air Force who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 4 Mar. 2024 Other options range from the traditional (the saxophonist Melissa Aldana at Dizzy’s Club; April 10) to the progressive (the modern soul man BJ the Chicago Kid at Blue Note; April 30-May 5). The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024 That duty falls to Herbert (Matthias Schoenaerts), a brutal soldier who has the soul of a Rasputin and the physique of Joe Manganiello. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 Village Presbyterian is a church that attends to people’s physical needs with its many charitable programs, but also understands that the soul also needs to be fed, too. Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Baby Rose took the mic next for a set of songs that spotlit her striking, jazzy vibrato tones and her warm neo-soul production alike. Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2023 On her debut album, the U.K. songstress’s soulful voice is transportive, atop a bed of neo-soul perfection. Cydney Lee, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2023 This tour, which was originally scheduled for 2020, celebrates two decades of that neo-soul cornerstone. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Mar. 2023 Billy was doing this R&B neo-soul Sondheim review and hired me to work on the project. Caitlin Brody, Glamour, 15 Mar. 2023 In theory, a lot of the neo-soul stuff was Tribe-esque beats with R&B singers on it. Vulture, 8 Mar. 2023 Singer-songwriter Yola talks about awakening to Jill Scott’s artistry during her teen years and how the neo-soul singer’s music continues to speak to her today. Delisa Shannon, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2023 Learn soul line-dances choreographed to R&B, jazz, gospel and Latin tunes. Linda McIntosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, 9 July 2018 Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh threw for nine touchdowns and was named the game's MVP. baltimoresun.com, 13 Aug. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soul.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English soule, from Old English sāwol; akin to Old High German sēula soul

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of soul was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near soul

Cite this Entry

“Soul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soul. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

soul

1 of 2 noun
1
: the spiritual part of a person believed to give life to the body and in many religions thought to live forever
2
a
: the necessary part of something
b
: a person who leads or stirs others to action : leader
the soul of the campaign
3
a
: the part of one's personality having to do with feelings and the sense of what is right and wrong
felt my soul rebel against injustice
b
: spiritual force : fervor
4
: person
a kind soul
5
a
: a strong positive feeling conveyed especially by black American performers
souled
ˈsōld
adjective

soul

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of or relating to black Americans or their culture
soul food
2
: designed for or controlled by blacks
soul radio stations

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