solo

1 of 4

noun

so·​lo ˈsō-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce solo (audio)
plural solos
1
or plural soli ˈsō-(ˌ)lē How to pronounce solo (audio)
a
: a musical composition for a single voice or instrument with or without accompaniment
b
: the featured part of a concerto or similar work
2
: a performance in which the performer has no partner or associate : something undertaken or done alone
a student pilot's first solo
3
: any of several card games in which a player elects to play without a partner against the other players

solo

2 of 4

adverb

: without a companion : alone
fly solo

solo

3 of 4

adjective

1
: accommodating one person
a solo canoe
2
: of, relating to, or being a solo
a solo performance
a solo flight
3
: hit with no runners on base
a solo home run

solo

4 of 4

verb

soloed; soloing ˈsō-(ˌ)lō-iŋ How to pronounce solo (audio)
-lə-wiŋ

intransitive verb

: to perform by oneself: such as
a
: to perform a musical solo
b
: to fly an airplane without one's instructor on board

transitive verb

1
: to fly (an aircraft) alone
2
: to climb (something, such as a mountain) alone

Examples of solo in a Sentence

Noun She is learning to fly and she flew her first solo yesterday. Adjective a student pilot's first solo flight She left the band last year and started a solo career. He just issued his first solo album. Verb The guitarist solos on practically every song. She soloed for the first time yesterday.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Early in his career, his ambition helped clip the puppet strings of his boy band image and establish him as a serious and legitimate solo artist. Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Released as the lead single of Eminem's The Slim Shady LP, the song became his first top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy Award for best rap solo performance. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 The new interview comes just one day after Malik announced his fourth solo album, Room Under the Stairs, which will arrive May 17. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2024 Reyna played long, lyrical guitar solos over her bandmate’s pulsing beats and exhorted her audience to remember the indigenous ancestors who tended the land first. Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 The album was written and laid out to leave room for Pirog and Lewis to toy with melodies, trade solos and play together. Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 By the end of that episode, Reba had left and Brandon picked Joy for the next solo date. Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2024 Next week, Lenker will release her new solo album Bright Future on March 22 via 4AD. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2024 Actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg was the first woman and African American to host the Oscars solo in 1994. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024
Adverb
The Prince of Wales, 41, attended the event solo amid his wife Kate Middleton's continued recovery from her abdominal surgery on Jan. 16. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Because management often scheduled just one worker per shift, the stress of handling these confrontations solo caused some to quit, the ex-employees said. Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 In 2022, Diaz died in an e-scooter accident, leaving Reyna to continue solo. Taylor Mims, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2024 The complications have meant that Danielle has to make business decisions on her own and tour potential locations solo. Zoe Glasser, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 Greenbaum had served as co-president of Searchlight, Disney’s art-house film unit, along with Matthew Greenfield, who will continue solo in that role. Lucas Shaw, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 Meryl Streep, who played Miranda Priestly in the beloved 2006 film, took the stage first solo, but forgot both her glasses and her presenter card. Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 If hiking solo, tell someone your start and end times, and location. The Arizona Republic, 25 Feb. 2024 The musician took the stage solo with an acoustic guitar for the intimate, introspective number, which tells an ominous tale. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Harley then embarked on a solo career while also reviving Cockney Rebel on occasion. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2024 Toné! or Lucy Pearl, as a solo artist and collaborator with greats like D’Angelo and Mary J. Blige, or even as a songwriter with Beyoncé or producer for Solange. Rivea Ruff, Essence, 15 Mar. 2024 Their individual styles also shine through in their solo shots. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Justin Timberlake’s solo career has been a decades-long quest to transcend his boy-band beginnings in N*SYNC. August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Notable, too, in this dining room are the many solo travelers—not unusual in a retreat. Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024 Virgo: August 23 – September 22 All earth signs are suited for solo travel and advanced planning, but unlike Taurus and Capricorn, Virgos desire a touch of wellness in their travel. Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 Eric Carmen, who became an icon of power pop as the frontman of the Raspberries before achieving even bigger hits as a solo artist in the 1970s and ’80s, has died at age 74. Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 Artist reception for solo exhibition featuring works of renowned landscape painter and Northern Kentucky University professor of painting. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024
Verb
Shared by Burbank and North Hollywood, Valhalla Memorial Park, opened a few years before Charles Lindbergh soloed across the Atlantic, had its past share of fraud and neglect. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 One day Cissy said, 'Your baby is soloing in church for the first time this Sunday. Mary Shaughnessy, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2023 Classical Music San Diego Symphony music director Rafael Payare and cello star Alisa Weilerstein hit all the right notes April 19, 2020 Weilerstein will solo on Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2023 How can solo travelers ensure their own safety? Roger Sands, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2021 My test was comprised of trips near and far, in traffic and on winding mountain roads, solo the whole time, and always in a hurry while being safe about it. Josh Max, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022 Three-Eight Charlie is the story of Jerrie Mock’s record-setting flight as the first woman to solo around the world in 1964 in a single-engine Cessna 180. Lucia Cheng, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Aug. 2022 Richard Lin, who won the 2018 gold medal in the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, will solo. Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Aug. 2021 Richard Lin, who won the 2018 gold media in the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, will solo. Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 13 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'solo.' 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

Italian, from solo alone, from Latin solus

First Known Use

Noun

1695, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1712, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1886, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of solo was in 1695

Dictionary Entries Near solo

Cite this Entry

“Solo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solo. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

solo

1 of 3 noun
so·​lo ˈsō-lō How to pronounce solo (audio)
plural solos
1
or plural soli ˈsō-lē How to pronounce solo (audio) : a piece of music written to be performed by one voice or one instrument
2
: an action in which there is only one performer

solo

2 of 3 adverb or adjective
: without a companion : alone

solo

3 of 3 verb
soloed; soloing
-(ˌ)lō-iŋ,
-lə-wiŋ
: to perform by oneself
especially : to fly an airplane without one's instructor
Etymology

Noun

from Italian solo "a part in music performed without accompaniment," from solo (adjective) "alone," from Latin solus "alone" — related to desolate, sole entry 4, solitude

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