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• solicitor general
  solicitor general

  noun

  a law officer who maintains the rights of the state in suits affecting the public interest, next in rank to the attorney general.
• Solicitor General
  Solicitor General

  noun

  (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

solicitor general

American  

noun

• solicitors general
  plural

1. a law officer who maintains the rights of the state in suits affecting the public interest, next in rank to the attorney general.

2. the chief legal officer in some states.

3. (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.

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Solicitor General British  

noun

1. (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

2. (in New Zealand) the government's chief lawyer: head of the Crown Law Office and prosecutor for the Crown

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• solicitors general
  plural

Etymology

Origin of solicitor general

First recorded in 1525–35

Compare meaning

How does solicitor-general compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• solicitor general vs. attorney general

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

solicitor general Solicitor General

The solicitor general said a new and secure ballroom is also crucial for social gatherings and foreign dignitaries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The solicitor general, in the appeal to the Supreme Court, also emphasized the security aspects of the project.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

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

“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

The planters banded for their common cause, and secured the written opinion of Yorke and Talbot, attorney and solicitor general of England.

From History of the Negro Race in America From 1619 to 1880. Vol 1 Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as Citizens by George Washington Williams

Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court the project is already 65% complete and argued that stopping construction would interfere with security improvements at the White House.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Solicitor General John Sauer, who argued the case for the White House, told the court in January that the social media post provided sufficient notice and opportunity to respond.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

There was at least some suggestion that the chief justice and Justice Barrett didn’t entirely accept the maximalist position that Solicitor General John Sauer was aiming for.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

I lost that case 7-1 after an argument in which Solicitor General Robert Bork argued against me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 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