a law officer who maintains the rights of the state in suits affecting the public interest, next in rank to the attorney general.
the chief legal officer in some states.
(initial capital letters) the law officer of the U.S. government next below the Attorney General, having charge of appeals, as to the Supreme Court.
(in Britain) the law officer of the Crown ranking next to the Attorney General (in Scotland to the Lord Advocate) and acting as his assistant
(in New Zealand) the government's chief lawyer: head of the Crown Law Office and prosecutor for the Crown
First recorded in 1525–35
How does solicitor-general compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Abbott, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, and Cruz, a former state solicitor general, also discussed the recent U.S.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
He sat in the gallery while the justices posed steadily skeptical questions to his solicitor general.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
She has been promoted from the Whips Office and is replacing the chancellor's sister, Ellie Reeves, who has become solicitor general.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
“The examples you give to support that,” Roberts told the solicitor general, “strike me as very quirky.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
He was solicitor general of Mr. Addington's mixed administration; but the dissolution of that compound soon relieved him from a cramped position, whence he gladly escaped to the broader field of untrammeled opposition.
From Sketches of Reforms and Reformers, of Great Britain and Ireland by Stanton, Henry B.
“Let’s say you lose on your argument that even the process that the secretary followed to terminate is not subject to judicial review,” she told Solicitor General John Sauer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
It's not feasible to have 50 different states coming out with their own determinations, Deputy Solicitor General Sarah Harris said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
He sat for the entirety of the government’s argument, led by Solicitor General John Sauer.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2026
The court said it would examine the case in more detail and issued notices to the country's Attorney and Solicitor General, as well as the Bar Council of India.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
The justices gave little indication of which way they were leaning, though Justice Thurgood Marshall offered a clue in an exchange with Solicitor General Erwin Griswold, who was handling the government’s case.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
