solder
Americannoun
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any of various alloys fused and applied to the joint between metal objects to unite them without heating the objects to the melting point.
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anything that joins or unites.
the solder of their common cause.
verb (used with object)
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to join (metal objects) with solder.
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to join closely and intimately.
two fates inseparably soldered by misfortune.
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to mend; repair; patch up.
verb (used without object)
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to unite things with solder.
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to become soldered or united; grow together.
noun
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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
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something that joins things together firmly; a bond
verb
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.
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.
It was physically impossible to solder millions of connections by hand.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Over the past century, lead was used in paint, pipes, solder, and, most disastrously, automotive fuel.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024
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
Perhaps Rekh would now let him make leaves every day, perhaps allow him to anneal wire, spread solder just so on the boxes, and learn and become skillful.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
