solicitor
Americannoun
-
solicitors
plural
-
a person who solicits.
-
a person whose business it is to solicit business, trade, etc.
-
an officer having charge of the legal business of a city, town, etc.
-
(in England and Wales) a member of that branch of the legal profession whose services consist of advising clients, representing them before the lower courts, and preparing cases for barristers to try in the higher courts.
noun
-
(in Britain) a lawyer who advises clients on matters of law, draws up legal documents, prepares cases for barristers, etc, and who may represent clients in certain courts Compare barrister
-
(in the US) an officer responsible for the legal affairs of a town, city, etc
-
a person who solicits
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of solicitor
1375–1425; late Middle English solicitour < Anglo-French; Middle French soliciteur. See solicit, -or 2
Explanation
If you get into trouble in England, don't ask for a lawyer. Find a solicitor. England has two levels of attorneys: for big problems, you'll need a barrister, but for your hypothetical legal troubles, a solicitor should do nicely. Some highly placed attorneys in the U.S. are also called solicitors. The lawyer in charge of government cases that come before the Supreme Court is the Solicitor General, and that was Elena Kagan's job before President Barack Obama appointed her to the Supreme Court. Solicitor isn’t always a privileged position. The person who knocks on your door asking you to contribute to some worthy cause is also a solicitor — someone who asks for — or solicits — donations.
Vocabulary lists containing solicitor
Animal Farm
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Lightning Thief
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Dracula
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Patterson's solicitor additionally accused the prosecution of an "unfair and oppressive" cross-examination during the trial.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
He previously was the solicitor general of Arkansas and a lawyer at Walmart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who served as attorney general for eight years, during which time he hired Murrill as the state’s solicitor general, opposed 10 of 12 compensation claims during his tenure.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Disney has hired prominent attorneys Beth Wilkinson, Jennifer Tatel and Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general with experience arguing before the Supreme Court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
I went on with my part of the work, and in another half hour had found the name and address of Mrs. Westenra’s solicitor and had written to him.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
He said he wonders if investors read the full disclosures made by such solicitors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Funds that should have been transferred from one party to the other had allegedly not been passed on by solicitors, meaning both banks had still had an open mortgage account for the couple.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
The two solicitors helped get a judicial review commissioned after £105,000 was raised by a fundraising group.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
Raynor Winn has never previously admitted that she wrote the book, but it was confirmed by her solicitors that she did write How Not to Dal Dy Dir.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
Then a new batch of solicitors began begging for admittance.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
