Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

soul

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun American English pronunciation: soul /soʊl/ 
Word Forms
Close
singularsoul
pluralsouls
 
  2. 2
    [countable] [usually singular] a person

    I promise I won’t tell a soul.

    not a soul:

    There wasn’t a soul to be seen.

    Not a soul in the world would blame you for what you did.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  soulThesaurus entry for this meaning of soul
    1. a.
      [countable] a particular type of person

      Her husband was killed in the war, poor soul.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  soulThesaurus entry for this meaning of soul
    2. b.

      souls

       [plural] mainly literary people

      a village of only 170 souls

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  soulThesaurus entry for this meaning of soul
  3. 3
    [uncountable] a quality in a piece of art, music, or writing that expresses strong feelings and affects people’s emotions

    His poetry contains many beautiful images, but it lacks soul.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  soulThesaurus entry for this meaning of soul
    1. a.
      the ability to feel strong emotions such as happiness and sadness

      If you’re not touched by this movie, you’ve no soul.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  soulThesaurus entry for this meaning of soul
  4. 4
    [uncountable] the qualities that are typical of something and make it special
    the soul of the city/university/community etc.:

    The loss of local shops has destroyed the soul of the community.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  soulThesaurus entry for this meaning of soul

phrases

See also

This is the American English definition of soul. View British English definition of soul.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

zeugma

the use of a word twice in the same sentence but with different meanings. The sentence ‘She...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog