Meaning & use
a sole
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Meanings
nouncountable
the bottom part of your foot that touches the ground
Grammar: Usually singular in everyday use: 'the sole of my foot'; plural 'soles' is used in medical contexts.
Patterns
- the sole of someone's foot
He burned the sole of his foot on the hot sand.
The doctor examined the soles of her feet.
nouncountable
the bottom part of a shoe that touches the ground
Grammar: Countable: 'a thick sole', 'rubber soles'.
Patterns
- the sole of a shoe
- rubber/leather sole
These boots have thick rubber soles for winter.
The sole of my shoe is coming loose.
nouncountable or uncountable
a flat sea fish that is often eaten as food
Grammar: Countable when talking about the live fish: 'a sole'; uncountable when talking about the food: 'We had sole for dinner.'
Patterns
- a fillet of sole
- grilled sole
We ordered grilled sole with vegetables.
Sole is a popular fish in European cooking.
Word forms
| plural | soles |
|---|
Common combinations
- the sole of your foot
- The sole of your foot is very sensitive.
- rubber soles
- These shoes have rubber soles for better grip.
- a fillet of sole
- She cooked a fillet of sole with lemon sauce.
- non-slip soles
- Wear boots with non-slip soles on the ice.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- soled adjective
- having a particular type of sole, as in 'rubber-soled shoes'
Commonly confused: a sole or soul?
a sole vs soul
Pronounced the same but means the spiritual part of a person; 'sole' is the bottom part or the fish.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sole' correctly to mean the bottom of a shoe?
Choose one answer.
'Soles' is the correct plural noun for the bottom parts of shoes. 'Souls' is a different word (spirits). 'Sole' without a plural or article is wrong here, and 'sole of my shoes' would need 'the' and a singular shoe.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a sole”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.