solicit
Americanverb (used with object)
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solicits,
present (3rd person singular)
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solicited,
past participle, past
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soliciting
present participle
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to seek for (something) by entreaty, earnest or respectful request, formal application, etc..
He solicited aid from the minister.
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to entreat or petition (someone or some agency).
to solicit the committee for funds.
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to seek to influence or incite to action, especially unlawful or wrong action.
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to offer to have sex with in exchange for money.
verb (used without object)
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solicits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
solicited,
past participle, past
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soliciting
present participle
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to make a petition or request, as for something desired.
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to solicit orders or trade, as for a business.
No soliciting allowed in this building.
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to offer to have sex with someone in exchange for money.
verb
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to make a request, application, or entreaty to (a person for business, support, etc)
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to accost (a person) with an offer of sexual relations in return for money
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to provoke or incite (a person) to do something wrong or illegal
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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solicitsimple
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solicitssimple
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have solicitedperfect
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has solicitedperfect
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am solicitingprogressive
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are solicitingprogressive
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is solicitingprogressive
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have been solicitingperfect progressive
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has been solicitingperfect progressive
Past
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solicitedsimple
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had solicitedperfect
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was solicitingprogressive
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were solicitingprogressive
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had been solicitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of solicit
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English soliciten, from Middle French solliciter, from Latin sollicitāre “to excite, agitate,” derivative of sollicitus “troubled” ( soll(us) “whole” + -i- -i- + citus, past participle of ciēre “to arouse”)
Explanation
Solicit means to ask for. It is what those people on the street are doing, when they ask, "Do you have a moment to talk about the destruction of the planet?" They are soliciting donations for their cause. Solicit has an official sounding impressiveness to it––doesn't soliciting donations sound better than begging for money? It can also have a more sinister cast. "When the teacher left the room, two girls solicited their friends to throw all the textbooks out the windows, injuring members of the cheer squad below — where they were soliciting signatures for a petition banning smoking in the football locker rooms."
Vocabulary lists containing solicit
Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Monster
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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:
AFP does not solicit testimonies from unaccompanied minors nor identify them, under its ethical code.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The agreement includes a 40-day “go-shop” period, during which time LXP Industrial may actively solicit and consider alternative acquisition proposals, the companies noted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
However, I am connected to a doctor whose name was used to solicit contributions to a hospital.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Suspended groups “cannot legally operate, solicit donations, or enter contracts,” according to the California Franchise Tax Board.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
She was too shy to solicit orders, so I did it for her.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
The fourth is the National Research Council, a staff-run operation that solicits studies, recruits committees and produces reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Instead of dispatching reporters around the world, he solicits contributions from local writers, photographers and artists.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2024
Every business seems to have a fund; every social media channel solicits daily.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2024
Many of the hacking cases I deal with as a consumer advocate started with phishing, a technique that solicits sensitive information by pretending to be a legitimate business.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
The United States Government, through the Forestry Division of the Agricultural Department, solicits the assistance of volunteer observers belonging to the Agassiz Association.
From St. Nicholas v. 13 No. 9 July 1886 an Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks by Various
Alison Green solicited reader anecdotes about how their dogs-at-work policies have played out and considers the issue from all angles.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
There was a catch: The doctor in question had no idea that funds were being solicited or contributed in her name — and she was incensed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
A few months later, records show, Socolow solicited feedback from another member of BP’s management.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
Bhakta solicited ideas from locals about what to do with the property and hosted neighborhood barbecues on campus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
“Had Mr. Carey been solicited to such an undertaking, what would he have demanded?”
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Said claims the other male crew members on the assignment joined in and tried to draw her into the conversation by soliciting her views.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
On July 14, the Department of Health and Human Services began soliciting ideas for reforming Medicare’s physician payment system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
His study aimed to clarify the ethical challenges of identifying, soliciting and even acknowledging patient donors.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
By 1717 he was soliciting his opera subscribers to buy tickets, eventually hosting six masquerades a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
No one noticed; they worked for a public radio station, in the fund-raising department, and were surrounded by people who spent all day on the phone, soliciting pledges.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
