solo

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solo^¹

/ˈsoʊ.loʊ/ Canada, US
/ˈsoʊl.oʊ/ Canada, US
/ˈsəʊ.ləʊ/ UK

Rhymes with (US, Canada) -oʊloʊ, (UK) -əʊləʊ

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Italian solo, from Latin sōlus, probably related to se (“himself”).

noun solos · soli

A piece of music for one performer.
A job or performance done by one person alone.
A card game similar to whist in which each player plays against the others in turn without a partner
A single shot of espresso.
An instance of soloing the football.

adjective

not comparable Without a companion or instructor. Represented by Olney Gleason gallery, she was the subject of a 2025 solo show at the MSU Broad Art Museum in Michigan and recently unveiled a permanent installation at the Princeton University Art Museum.
not comparable Of, or relating to, a musical solo. I can appreciate that Macca’s band plays faithful to the source material, never putting too obvious a personal spin on the music. It’s sometimes frustrating, especially when the solo part in “Get Back” is screaming for some impromptu finesse, but it’s mostly fair.

adverb

not comparable Alone, without a companion. Two of us wearing raincoats / Standing solo / In the sun

verb solos · soloes · soloing · soloed

To perform a solo.
To perform something in the absence of anyone else.
To drop the ball and then toe-kick it upward into the hands.
slang To independently perform an action, especially a challenging task.

Solo^²

proper noun Solos · Soloes

A surname

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: aria, soloist, cello, recital, literature, one-on-one, own, unitary, personal, just, one-to-one, one-woman, purely, case-by-case, individually, sulu

Translations

Every language

noun piece of music for one

Español	solo
日本語	ソロ soro, 独奏 dokusō, 独唱 dokushō
中文	獨奏 /独奏 dúzòu, 獨唱 /独唱 dúchàn
Português	solo
Français	solo
Deutsch	Solo
Italiano	assolo, solo
Ελληνικά	σόλο sólo
Română	solo
Русский	со́ло sólo
Tiếng Việt	độc tấu, độc xướng

noun job or performance done by one person

Español	aria, romanza
Português	solo
Français	solo
Deutsch	Solo
Italiano	in solitaria, da solo
Ελληνικά	σόλο sólo
Română	solo
Tiếng Việt	một mình

noun card game

Español	solitario
中文	惠斯特紙牌戲 /惠斯特纸牌戏 huìsītè zhǐpáixì
Deutsch	Solo
Italiano	solitario

adj without a companion or instructor

Español	solo
中文	單 /单 dān, 獨自的 /独自的 dúzì de, 單獨的 /单独的 dāndú de
Português	solo
Français	solo, solitaire
Deutsch	einzeln
Italiano	solitario, solo
Русский	самостоятельно samostojatelʹno
Tiếng Việt	độc, đơn, một mình, tự, tự mình

adj of a musical solo

Español	solo
中文	獨唱 /独唱 dúchàng
Português	solo
Français	solo
Deutsch	solo
Italiano	solista, da solista, per solista
Română	solo
Русский	со́ло sólo, со́льный sólʹnyj
Tiếng Việt	độc xướng

verb to perform a solo

Español	tocar un solo
中文	no corresponding word known
Português	solar
Deutsch	ein Solo spielen
Italiano	fare un assolo
Русский	солировать solirovatʹ
Tiếng Việt	độc diễn

verb to perform something in the absence of anyone else

Español	ir por su cuenta, realizar por cuenta propia, efectuar por su propia cuenta
Deutsch	allein machen
Italiano	volare da solo

verb to independently tackle a challenge

Español	hacerlo solo
Português	solar

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"solo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/solo. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

solo. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/solo

Chicago

"solo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/solo.

BibTeX

@misc{solo_2026,
  title = {solo},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/solo},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}