solicitation

American  

[suh-lis-i-tay-shuhn] / səˌlɪs ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• solicitations
  plural

1. the act of soliciting.

2. entreaty, urging, or importunity; a petition or request.

3. enticement or allurement.

4. Law.

   1. the crime of asking another to commit or to aid in a crime.

   2. the act of a prostitute soliciting in a public place.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsolicitation
  noun
• presolicitation
  noun
• resolicitation
  noun
• supersolicitation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• solicitations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of solicitation

First recorded in 1485–95; from Latin sollicitātiōn-, stem of sollicitātiō, from sollicitāt(us) “agitated, worried” (past participle of sollicitāre “to excite, agitate, worry”; see solicit) + -iō -ion

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Explanation

Solicitation is a request for something, usually money. If you buy a fancy new house, expect a phone call from the local charity with a solicitation for a donation. Solicitation comes from solicit, which means "to request," or "to entreat." So solicitation is the act of requesting. There are three kinds of solicitation. One is asking for money, like when someone goes door-to-door trying to collect money for a cause. In law, solicitation means encouraging someone to commit a crime. Solicitation can also mean making a plea to someone with power to grant a request or favor, like your solicitation to the traffic judge to dismiss your ticket.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

solicitation solicitations

The solicitation continues the U.S.’s planned 172-million-barrel contribution to a coordinated 400-million-barrel release by International Energy Agency member countries, with deliveries under the latest awards scheduled for November and December.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Disclosure: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

The agency will also issue an open solicitation for Moon Base technology demonstrations and begin pursuing a lunar communication and navigation relay constellation to improve communications between infrastructure on the Moon and Earth.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Oregon, Pennsylvania and other states have also found the charity organization has misleading solicitation practices.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

They played a duet from “Zampa,” and at the earnest solicitation of everyone present followed it with the overture to “The Poet and the Peasant” Allez vous-enl Sapristir shrieked the parrot outside the door.

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

A program in Brooklyn pitches parents with solicitations saying “Worried about AI? Brooklyn Nature Days forest school classes are 100% human!”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

"It cannot be stressed enough that peace and quiet is a right, and it is time to stop exposing consumers to unwanted solicitations," consumer advocacy group Que Choisir Ensemble, said in a statement.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Posillico alleges in the lawsuit that it incurred “substantial bid preparation and proposal costs” drawing up plans for federal solicitations that were “not genuine competitive opportunities.”

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

And then there were solicitations from organizations representing a Noah’s Ark of endangered animals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2024

The captain gave no heed to their solicitations.

From A Hero of Romance by Richard Marsh

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Related Words

• application
• bid
• call
• claim
• demand
• overture
• petition
• plea
• proposal
• question
• suit

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