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
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; soling
1
: to furnish with a sole
sole a shoe
2
: to place the sole of (a golf club) on the ground
: 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
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
Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
This allows potential clients to get immediate answers, reducing friction and keeping the focus on booking a demo—its sole purpose.
—Rob Auld, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Nicol Natale, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Built to pad and propel every step, this shoe has On’s maximum amount of foam and a rocker sole, all without the heft that can come with super pillowy sneaks.
—Kristine Thomason, SELF, 22 Oct. 2024
Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for sole 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
But then there are the annoyances that truly seem created for the sole purpose of annoying.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
This allows potential clients to get immediate answers, reducing friction and keeping the focus on booking a demo—its sole purpose.
—Rob Auld, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
This pair has a slight lift thanks to a rubber sole that also has traction to stabilize feet, along with laces and pull-tab to make slipping them on a breeze.
—Nicol Natale, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Built to pad and propel every step, this shoe has On’s maximum amount of foam and a rocker sole, all without the heft that can come with super pillowy sneaks.
—Kristine Thomason, SELF, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
Rubber soled and perfect for a boat my favorite espadrille maker is famed Spanish house, Castañer.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for sole
Dictionary Entries Near sole
Cite this Entry
“Sole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sole. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sole
1 of 4 noun1
: the underside of a foot
2
: the part of footwear on which the sole of the foot rests
soled
adjective
ˈsōld
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 adjective1
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
noun1
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share