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solder

American  
[sod-er] / ˈsɒd ər /

noun

  1. any of various alloys fused and applied to the joint between metal objects to unite them without heating the objects to the melting point.

  2. anything that joins or unites.

    the solder of their common cause.


verb (used with object)

  1. to join (metal objects) with solder.

  2. to join closely and intimately.

    two fates inseparably soldered by misfortune.

  3. to mend; repair; patch up.

verb (used without object)

  1. to unite things with solder.

  2. to become soldered or united; grow together.

solder British  
/ ˈsɒdər, ˈsɒldə /

noun

  1. an alloy for joining two metal surfaces by melting the alloy so that it forms a thin layer between the surfaces. Soft solders are alloys of lead and tin; brazing solders are alloys of copper and zinc

  2. something that joins things together firmly; a bond

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to join or mend or be joined or mended with or as if with solder

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of solder

1325–75; (noun) Middle English soudour < Old French soudure, soldure, derivative of solder to solder < Latin solidāre to make solid, equivalent to solid ( us ) solid + -āre infinitive suffix; (v.) late Middle English, derivative of the noun

Explanation

If you want to be a metalsmith you’ll have to become familiar with solder, which is the substance you use to fuse two metal surfaces. The word solder traces back to the Latin word solidare, meaning “to make solid.” That’s what you use solder for: to make something solid. In this case you are joining two metal surfaces so they appear as one solid piece. The word also has a verb form, also solder, to describe the act of joining the metal pieces. You might use solder, for example, to solder a metal piece on a computer's motherboard.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing solder

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Actor and director Burke, whose films include Tinker Tailor Solder Spy and Elizabeth, tweeted: "We thank you and love you."

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2023

Nate Solder, who won two Super Bowls in New England as an offensive tackle and who has played most recently for the Giants, recalled in an interview Flores’s sense of fairness.

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2022

The other time it happened was in the 2014 season when New England's Nate Solder and Seattle's Garry Gilliam did it.

From Fox News • Jan. 19, 2022

He offered major contracts that backfired to offensive tackle Nate Solder and the receivers Golden Tate and Kenny Golladay.

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2022

Solder the spindle to the wheel in such a position that the vanes clear the boiler by an eighth of an inch or so.

From Things To Make by Williams, Archibald