From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsolesole1 /səʊl $ soʊl/ ●●○ W3 AWL adjective [only before noun] 1 ONLYthe sole person, thing etc is the only one SYN only the sole American in the room Griffiths is the sole survivor of the crash. The story was published with the sole purpose of selling newspapers.2 ONLYnot shared with anyone else Derek has sole responsibility for sales in Dublin. The company has the sole rights to market Elton John’s records.COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: the sole person, thing etc is the only onenounssomebody’s sole purpose/aimTheir sole purpose was to kill.the sole reasonHis sole reason for calling was to shower abuse upon me.the sole causeI’m not saying that TV violence is the sole cause of violence in society.the sole candidateHe was the sole candidate for the post.the sole occupantThe library’s sole occupant was a thin, elderly man.the sole survivorJack was the sole survivor of the crew.adjectivesthe sole surviving/remaining member/child etcHis sole surviving child, Mary, succeeded to the throne at the age of one week. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: not shared with anyone elsenounssole responsibilityShe has the sole responsibility for a large family.sole rightsThe company now has the sole rights to the process.sole ownership/proprietorshipHe now has sole ownership of the company.sole control/chargeThe school was no longer under their sole control. 
[countable]DCC the flat bottom part of a shoe, not including the heel the soles of her shoes3 [countable, uncountable] (plural sole or soles)DFFHBF a flat fish that is often used for food → lemon sole Dover sole
Examples from the Corpus
sole• NASA's sole concern was the safety of the astronauts.• Everyone ignored my sole contribution to the conversation.• Ciba-Geigy Plastics has appointed Plastic Technology Service as sole distributor for small lot quantities of its range of engineering plastics.• The validity of product measures as the sole form of evaluation can be considered at a number of levels.• I think he came here with the sole intention of causing trouble.• Also, although productive efficiency is the central, it is not the sole issue where these matters are concerned.• Arthur will retain sole ownership of the company.• The sole purpose of his trip was to attend a concert at Carnegie Hall.• Other health care professions are subordinate to the organised autonomy of doctors who claim sole rights of diagnosis and treatment.• The quantum mechanical formalism itself is left as the sole source of insight.• the sole survivor of the crash• The Virbram sole unit could do with a little more rigidity for scrambling, but provides good adhesion for walking on all surfaces.• The sole unit, quiet, with a separate outside entrance, sleeps four to five and has a kitchen.with the sole purpose of• The whole school seemed to have been designed with the sole purpose of freezing all the pupils to death.• Eventually I plucked up courage and booked a ticket to Amsterdam with the sole purpose of getting laid.• From then on, many changed banks, with the sole purpose of giving their previous firm a run for its money.• He had barged into her house with the sole purpose of making trouble and she felt resentful and furious about that.• She believes he bought this property from Durance with the sole purpose of turning out the others.sole rights• Other health care professions are subordinate to the organised autonomy of doctors who claim sole rights of diagnosis and treatment. solesole2 ●○○ noun 1 [countable]HBH the bottom surface of your foot, especially the part you walk or stand on The soles of his feet were caked in mud.2 [countable]DCC the flat bottom part of a shoe, not including the heel the soles of her shoes3 [countable, uncountable] (plural sole or soles)DFFHBF a flat fish that is often used for food → lemon sole Dover soleExamples from the Corpus
sole• Moving soundlessly on his thick rubber soles, he ghosted swiftly down to the lowest platform.• The rain, still fresh on the grass, began to seep through the soles of his boots.• The soles of her feet were feathery soft.• Besides menu costs, economists also discuss shoe-leather costs, because inflation makes people run around more, wearing down their soles.• The floorboards struck ice up through the unprotected soles of her feet.soles of ... feet• He looked at the soles of the feet, making careful note of what he saw.• I had begun wearing deck shoes because the soles of my feet had turned dead white as a result of going barefoot.• They too are given a special smelly identity, for their owners have scent glands in the soles of their feet.• The soles of her feet were dyed with henna, making a brown sandal.• The floorboards struck ice up through the unprotected soles of her feet.• Sitting with soles of the feet together, pull your feet in as close to you as possible.soles of ... shoes• I felt the new soles of my shoes.• There was thick mud underfoot; it stuck to the soles of her shoes.• The soles of her shoes had turned to tongues of ice.• Others shuffled and stamped their feet as the cold from the frosted pavement penetrated the thin soles of their shoes.solesole3 verb [transitive] DCCto put a sole on a shoethick-soled/leather-soled etc (=having soles that are thick, made of leather etc)Grammar Sole is usually passive.→ See Verb tableFrom Longman Business Dictionarysolesole /səʊlsoʊl/ adjective [only before a noun]1a sole thing or person is the only oneThe company’s sole business is software that blocks spam.He became the sole owner of an investment management firm.2a sole responsibility, duty, right etc is one that is not shared with anyone elseDerek has sole responsibility for sales in this region.When he retired, he left his partner in sole control.Origin sole1 (1200-1300) Old French soul, from Latin solus “alone” sole2 1. (1300-1400) Old French Latin solea “light shoe”2. (1300-1400) Old French Latin solea “light shoe, flat fish” 