plural solos
1
or plural soli
ˈsō-(ˌ)lē 
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
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
soloed; soloing
ˈsō-(ˌ)lō-iŋ
-lə-wiŋ
: to perform by oneself: such as
a
: to perform a musical solo
b
: to fly an airplane without one's instructor on board
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
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2025
The National’s Matt Berninger has released another single from his second solo album.
—Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 18 Apr. 2025
Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 17 Apr. 2025
Present them solo or as part of a pampering gift basket with a fluffy robe.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2025
Livia Hengel, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Jin was the seventh, and final, member of BTS to release a full solo LP and his second album will drop while ARMY awaits word on when the full band will reunite following a nearly three-year hiatus to allow its members to complete mandatory South Korean military service.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2025
Hank Shteamer, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
Gradually, the music mutates into something more alien: off-key chiming of a clock, percussive piano clanking and plucking, atonal saxophone solos that sound as if an instrument is being dropped.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for solo
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Noun
But an Oswaldo Cabrera solo shot put the Yankees down one in the fifth before a force out off the bat of Cody Bellinger tied the game at three.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2025
The National’s Matt Berninger has released another single from his second solo album.
—Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 18 Apr. 2025
Adverb
Authorities have not clarified if anyone was onboard or if Davis was fishing solo in the three-day event, which was the third stop on the Tackle Warehouse Invitational circuit.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 17 Apr. 2025
Present them solo or as part of a pampering gift basket with a fluffy robe.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
The island feels calmer and cleaner, now attracting a wider mix of visitors: honeymooners, families and solo travelers alike.
—Livia Hengel, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Jin was the seventh, and final, member of BTS to release a full solo LP and his second album will drop while ARMY awaits word on when the full band will reunite following a nearly three-year hiatus to allow its members to complete mandatory South Korean military service.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
Later, the band loops the composition’s concluding phrase to create a sleek, asymmetrical pattern for the saxophonists to solo over.
—Hank Shteamer, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
Gradually, the music mutates into something more alien: off-key chiming of a clock, percussive piano clanking and plucking, atonal saxophone solos that sound as if an instrument is being dropped.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for solo
Cite this Entry
“Solo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solo. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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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