Meaning & use
sold your soul
Last updated
“sold your soul” is a form of “sell your soul”.
Meanings
phraseidiomfigurative
Gave up your moral principles or deepest values in exchange for money, power, or success.
Grammar: A fixed phrase; the possessive changes with the subject (I sold my soul, she sold her soul).
Patterns
- sell your soul for something
- sell your soul to someone
- sell your soul to get something
He says he sold his soul to the bank and now hates every morning.
She felt she had sold her soul for a corner office and a big salary.
Critics claim the writer sold her soul to Hollywood.
phraseidiomliterary
In stories, made a bargain with the devil, trading your soul for wealth or skill.
Grammar: The literal folkloric use, usually with 'to the devil' or 'to the devil in exchange for'.
Patterns
- sell your soul to the devil
- sell your soul in exchange for something
In the legend, the violinist sold his soul to the devil for perfect technique.
The old tale warns of what happens when a man sells his soul to the devil.
Common combinations
- sell your soul for money
- He would sell his soul for money if the price were high enough.
- sell your soul to the devil
- The story is about a musician who sells his soul to the devil.
- sell your soul for success
- Many young actors feel pressured to sell their soul for success.
- feel like you've sold your soul
- After signing the contract, she felt like she'd sold her soul.
- sell your soul to the company
- He jokes that he sold his soul to the company years ago.
Synonyms and how they differ
- compromise your principles
- A plainer, less dramatic way to say you gave up your values; it does not suggest a total, permanent bargain.
- betray yourself
- Focuses on being disloyal to your own beliefs rather than on the price you got.
- prostitute yourself
- Stronger and more offensive; use 'sold your soul' when you want the figurative, less crude image.
Opposites
Word family
- sellout noun
- A disapproving word for a person who gives up their principles for money or fame.
- sell out verb
- The phrasal verb meaning to betray your principles or your group, or to be completely sold.
- soul-selling noun
- Rare noun for the act of giving up your values for gain.
Commonly confused: sold your soul or sold out? sold your soul or sole?
sold your soul vs sold out
Means all the tickets were bought, or you betrayed your principles. 'Sold your soul' is the stronger, more vivid image of a moral bargain.
sold your soul vs sole
A homophone meaning the bottom of your foot or a flat fish; 'soul' is the spirit or inner self.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom takes a possessive that matches the subject and 'for' plus the thing gained, so 'sold his soul for a job' fits. Option 2 is ungrammatical ('for buy'), option 3 has the wrong word order, and option 4 wrongly uses the present continuous with a completed bargain.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sold your soul”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.