solder

American  

[sod-er] / ˈsɒd ər /

noun

• solders
  plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

• solders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• soldered,
  past participle,  past
• soldering
  present participle

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)

• solders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• soldered,
  past participle,  past
• soldering
  present participle

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

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• solderer
  noun
• resolder
  verb
• desolder
  verb (used with object)
• solderable
  adjective
• solderless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• solders
  plural

Participles

• soldering
  present
• soldered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• solder
  simple
• solders
  simple
• have soldered
  perfect
• has soldered
  perfect
• am soldering
  progressive
• are soldering
  progressive
• is soldering
  progressive
• have been soldering
  perfect progressive
• has been soldering
  perfect progressive

Past

• soldered
  simple
• had soldered
  perfect
• was soldering
  progressive
• were soldering
  progressive
• had been soldering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will solder
  simple
• will have soldered
  perfect
• will be soldering
  progressive
• will have been soldering
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

solder solders soldered soldering

Tin is an element vital to the artificial intelligence industry, used as solder to attach microchips to circuit boards and bond together other electronics in data centres.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Analysts expect silver prices to remain higher than historical levels because of demand from data centers and other high-tech applications, which use the highly conductive metal for electrical contacts and solder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

“But you can’t do that with the hair. You have to build them individually and then solder them in.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

Over the past century, lead was used in paint, pipes, solder, and, most disastrously, automotive fuel.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 4, 2024

“Well, dreamers? Do you mean to stand all day and gawk at one another? Get on with your solder making.”

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that neither federal law nor the Constitution shields military contractors if their mistakes or negligence result in solders being injured in a combat zone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

In the shade of the barracks, the solders were cleaning their Kalashnikovs.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025

More often than not, organizations, educational systems, companies and other systems just want good solders who do what they're told and say nothing.

From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2024

He then carefully inserts the gold wire into the needle, solders it to a connector and ensures it is electrically insulated.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2023

He charms the druggist’s wife into giving him a broken earphone; he salvages a solenoid from a discarded doorbell, solders it to a resistor, and makes a loudspeaker.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

I’m stripping a century of paint off the door hinges, and I soldered tight a loose brass light fixture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

For as long as I can remember, the events of that day have been present with me, soldered deeply into my psyche, though I wasn’t there to witness them firsthand.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2024

The play may seem like two one-acts soldered together, but there is a discernible throughline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024

Some have metal tabs that need to be soldered to the circuit board.

From Seattle Times ● May 2, 2024

He salvages the inferior Soviet equipment, milled from marginal steel, clumsily soldered; it’s all so unsystematic.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

During 15 visits to Ukraine over the past year, Tokushige was struck by the fact that production was decentralized across offices, apartments and shopping malls, with part-time workers assembling smaller drones using soldering irons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

One challenge is that piezoelectric resonators physically vibrate, which means they cannot be attached to circuit boards using standard soldering techniques.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 10, 2026

Bolsonaro said he "experienced a certain paranoia between Friday and Saturday due to medication" when he had used a soldering iron on the monitoring bracelet, the document read.

From Barron's ● Nov. 23, 2025

Then comes another one as the assembly line continues, the sounds of sewing, stitching, cutting and soldering echoing off the high ceilings.

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025

As long as my washer was well attached, soldering sounded good to me, although I wasn’t exactly certain what soldering was.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• fasten