solo

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Done or performed by one person alone, without a partner, helper or other performers.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a solo flight, a solo album.

   Patterns

   • a solo trip
   • a solo performance

   She finished her first solo flight in under an hour.

   The singer released a solo album after leaving the band.

   He planned a solo hike through the mountains.

2. 2nouncountablemusic

   A piece of music, a dance or a part of a show performed by one person, with or without others in the background.

   Grammar: Countable: play a solo, two solos in one song.

   Patterns

   • a solo on something
   • play a solo

   The guitarist played a long solo in the middle of the song.

   Nina danced a graceful solo while the others waited at the side.

   The trumpet solo made the whole audience go quiet.

3. 3adverbafter a verb

   Alone, without anyone else helping or accompanying you.

   Grammar: Comes after the verb: she travels solo, he flew solo.

   Patterns

   • go solo
   • fly solo

   He decided to travel solo across South America.

   After years in a band, she chose to go solo.

   The pilot flew solo for the first time last week.

Word forms

Common combinations

solo career

His solo career took off after the band split.

guitar solo

The guitar solo lasted nearly two minutes.

travel solo

Many people now enjoy traveling solo for a few weeks each year.

solo performance

Her solo performance won the school talent show.

go solo

The designer left the firm to go solo.

solo parent

As a solo parent, she juggled two jobs and school runs.

Synonyms and how they differ

unaccompanied

Unaccompanied is more formal and often describes children or music with no instruments, whereas solo is broader and more casual.

alone

Alone simply says nobody else is present, while solo suggests a chosen act or performance carried out by one person.

single-handed

Single-handed stresses doing a difficult job without help, which solo does not necessarily imply.

Opposites

Word family

soloist noun

a musician or singer who performs a solo

soloing noun

the act of playing or flying alone

solo verb

to do something alone, such as fly a plane

Commonly confused: solo or sole?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “solo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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