1 [count] a : the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body and in many religions is believed to live forever
▪ salvation of the human soul [=spirit] ▪ the souls of the dead
b : a person's deeply felt moral and emotional nature
▪ He could not escape the guilt that he felt in the inner recesses of his soul. 2 [noncount] : the ability of a person to feel kindness and sympathy for others, to appreciate beauty and art, etc.
▪ She has no soul. 3 [count] : a human being : person
▪ a brave/gentle/kind soul ▪ Some poor soul was asking for handouts on the street. ▪ There wasn't a soul in sight. [=there wasn't anyone in sight] ▪ He didn't tell a soul [=anyone] that he was leaving. ▪ a village of barely a hundred souls 4 [noncount] : a quality that gives emotional force and effectiveness to a performance, a work of art, etc.
▪ He's a skillful performer, but his music lacks soul. 5 [noncount] : soul music
▪ My favorite types of music are jazz and soul. 6 [singular] : a person who has a lot of a particular quality — + of ▪ He is the soul of integrity. [=he is a very honest person] ▪ I promise I'll be the soul of discretion. [=I'll be very discreet] 7 [singular] : the central or most important part of something that makes it effective, valuable, etc. — usually + of ▪ Honesty is the very soul of any good relationship. ▪ Our employees are the heart and soul of our company.