solicitor general

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noun, plural solicitors general.

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.

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Origin of solicitor general

First recorded in 1525–35

Words nearby solicitor general

solicit, solicitation, solicited, soliciting, solicitor, solicitor general, solicitous, solicitude, solid, solidago, solid angle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use solicitor general in a sentence

When lower courts ruled in favor of the paper and editors, the solicitor general took the cases to the Supreme Court.
The Great Inheritors: How Three Families Shielded Their Fortunes From Taxes for Generations|by Patricia Callahan, James Bandler, Justin Elliott, Doris Burke and Jeff Ernsthausen|December 15, 2021|ProPublica
Roberts’ first question to the solicitor general of Mississippi was about the arbitrariness of viability, citing the revelations of Blackmun’s original views.
Supreme Court Signals Shift On Abortion – But Will It Strike Down Roe Or Leave It To States To Decide When ‘Personhood’ Occurs?|LGBTQ-Editor|December 3, 2021|No Straight News
“They are hypocritical on this very issue,” Shearer said about Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and other public officials.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It also contains some clunky passages of adultery, temptations of the flesh, and general sexual awkwardness.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Closed courthouses, rogue clerks, and misleading statements from the attorney general as Florida welcomes same-sex marriage.
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over|Jay Michaelson|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“We would just as soon stay away from a group that will create controversy,” the Cubs general manager Sam Bernabe told the paper.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Your general reaction runs along the lines of: “When will these geezers give it up and go for a mall walk or something?”
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured General Jackson that he had received his scars in battle.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
In the year of misery, of agony and suffering in general he had endured, he had settled upon one theory.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
To others the fierce desire for social justice obliterates all fear of a general catastrophe.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Finally, let me ask the general reader to put aside all prejudice, and give both sides a fair hearing.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
General Lachambre, as the hero of Cavite, followed to receive the applause which was everywhere showered upon him in Spain.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for solicitor general

Solicitor General

noun plural Solicitors General

(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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012