solicit

verb

so·​lic·​it sə-ˈli-sət How to pronounce solicit (audio)
solicited; soliciting; solicits
Synonyms of solicitnext

transitive verb

1
formal
a
: to approach (someone) with a request or plea
solicited Congress for funding
The company is soliciting firms for bids.
b
: to make petition to : entreat
solicit the king for relief
2
formal : to try to obtain (something) by usually urgent requests or pleas
The center solicited donations to help victims of the earthquake.
solicited feedback from their users
They were charged with soliciting bribes.
3
formal : to offer to engage in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse with (someone) in exchange for pay
4
dated : to entice or lure especially into something unlawful or wrong : to lead astray
5
obsolete : to urge (something, such as one's cause) strongly

intransitive verb

1
formal : to make solicitation : to request urgently : importune
The organization is soliciting for donations.
2
formal : to offer to engage in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse with someone in exchange for pay

Did you know?

What object does solicit take?

When used as a transitive verb, solicit can take as an object either the thing being requested or the source from which the thing is requested:

Enterprising capitalists have been soliciting funds on the Internet for years, turning to a passel of sites like Kickstarter to aggregate small commitments from like-minded individuals on behalf of a new idea or worthy cause.
Dave Flessner, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, 5 Nov. 2015

County supervisors and staff spent much of the remainder of the board retreat planning for a series of focus groups that will solicit community input for the strategic plan.
Carmen Forman, The Roanoke Times, 31 Jan. 2016

They could be so nimble because they aggressively solicited a small group of doubters and broadcast their misgivings as if they were based on rigorous and systematic research.
Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007

They are among the 9,500 volunteers, says the campaign, who have signed up to solicit their friends and families by hosting individual fund-raising Web pages for Obama.
Karen Tumulty, Time, 16 July 2007

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for solicit

ask, request, solicit mean to seek to obtain by making one's wants known.

ask implies no more than the statement of the desire.

ask a favor of a friend

request implies greater formality and courtesy.

requests the pleasure of your company

solicit suggests a calling attention to one's wants or desires by public announcement or advertisement.

a letter soliciting information

Examples of solicit in a Sentence

The center is soliciting donations to help victims of the earthquake. The company is soliciting bids from various firms. The organization is soliciting new memberships. The newspaper's editors want to solicit opinions from readers. The organization is soliciting for donations. Special interest groups are soliciting Congress for funds. The prostitutes were arrested for soliciting customers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Does Miss Manners have a suggestion for a polite way of indicating that, since they couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge the first gift, subsequent gifts should not be solicited? —Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024 What to watch: CHAI is soliciting feedback from different users and AI developers and plans to release a final version of its plan early next year. —Tina Reed, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 The world is full of information—some solicited and some not. —Gregory Ostrowski, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 Lambesis spent nearly three years in prison after he was arrested for soliciting an undercover agent to murder his then-wife, Meggan Lambesis. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for solicit 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to disturb, promote, from Anglo-French solliciter, from Latin sollicitare to disturb, from sollicitus anxious, from sollus whole (from Oscan; akin to Greek holos whole) + citus, past participle of ciēre to move — more at safe, -kinesis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of solicit was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near solicit

soli

solicit

solicitant

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Solicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solicit. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

solicit

verb
so·​lic·​it sə-ˈlis-ət How to pronounce solicit (audio)
1
: entreat, beg
especially : to approach with a request or appeal
2
: to appeal for
solicited the help of neighbors
3
a
: to lead especially into evil
b
: to approach for sinful purposes
solicitation
-ˌlis-ə-ˈtā-shən
noun

Legal Definition

solicit

transitive verb
so·​lic·​it sə-ˈli-sət How to pronounce solicit (audio)
1
: to make petition to
solicit the court
2
: to ask, induce, advise, or command (a person) to do something and especially to commit a crime compare coerce, importune
3
: to attempt to persuade (a person) to purchase something
4
: to attempt to bring about or obtain by soliciting a person
solicit bribes

intransitive verb

1
: to make solicitation
2
of a prostitute : to offer to have sexual relations with someone for money

More from Merriam-Webster on solicit

Nglish: Translation of solicit for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of solicit for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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