solder
Americannoun
-
solders
plural
-
any of various alloys fused and applied to the joint between metal objects to unite them without heating the objects to the melting point.
-
anything that joins or unites.
the solder of their common cause.
verb (used with object)
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solders,
present (3rd person singular)
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soldered,
past participle, past
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soldering
present participle
-
to join (metal objects) with solder.
-
to join closely and intimately.
two fates inseparably soldered by misfortune.
-
to mend; repair; patch up.
verb (used without object)
-
solders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
soldered,
past participle, past
-
soldering
present participle
-
to unite things with solder.
-
to become soldered or united; grow together.
noun
-
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
-
something that joins things together firmly; a bond
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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solderernoun
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resolderverb
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desolderverb (used with object)
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solderableadjective
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solderlessadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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soldersimple
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solderssimple
-
have solderedperfect
-
has solderedperfect
-
am solderingprogressive
-
are solderingprogressive
-
is solderingprogressive
-
have been solderingperfect progressive
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has been solderingperfect progressive
Past
-
solderedsimple
-
had solderedperfect
-
was solderingprogressive
-
were solderingprogressive
-
had been solderingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing solder
Gold Rush: Mining and Metals
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 1
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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:
It was physically impossible to solder millions of connections by hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
So from a young age, I learned how to solder motherboards and inventory microchips and would write marketing materials for COMDEX, which was the big computer trade show back then.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
Over two-and-a-half hours, Glenn and Milton taught dozens of volunteers basic engineering skills to disassemble, rewire and solder palm-size external buttons and attach them to a variety of toys.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
The federal Safe Drinking Water Act Amendment in 1986 required the use of "lead-free" piping, solder and flux in buildings.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2023
“The solder melted,” he announced, wrinkling his nose at the sulfurous stench.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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
They said they believed their father was the last survivor of the estimated 85,000 British, Australian and Indian solders who were captured when the British colony of Singapore fell to Japanese forces in February 1942.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 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
Dark-fleet vessels were also found with custom-made Ethernet cables soldered to ports on AIS systems, which enabled crews to push out fake location data and mask their whereabouts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Some have metal tabs that need to be soldered to the circuit board.
From Seattle Times ● May 2, 2024
They also created a low-cost, printed circuit board with built-in digital microfluidics, which the emitter is soldered to.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2024
I knew his name — the same soldered to the email’s sign-off — and had a vague idea of what he looked like.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2024
He ran his fingers around the base of the rocket, studied carefully the soldered washer, sniffed speculatively at the cured black-powder mix.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
The term derives from the white crystalline powder used in cleaning, soldering, glass making and in pesticides, which in centuries past was sold as a cure-all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
In a video made public by the court on Saturday, Bolsonaro gave a different version of events: he said he had used a soldering iron on the monitoring bracelet out of "curiosity."
From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025
"The project offered a wealth of learning opportunities. I've extended many skills, including programming, soldering and physics applications," Ms. Xu said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2025
He uses a soldering gun to burn away some of the words and create a series of perforations in the stories.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2025
“I think he has put soldering quite out of his mind,” said Dr. Trefusis.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
