solicitor general

American  

noun

plural

solicitors general

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.

---

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

---

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

The solicitor general, he noted, kept saying that the Civil Rights Act of 1866 denied birthright citizenship to children who were “subject to any foreign power.”

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

The former justice secretary also previously served as Welsh secretary, prisons and probation minister and solicitor general.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said in an email that funding for HSIs was cut because the solicitor general found it unconstitutional, in a response to that lawsuit.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

Kise is a longtime Florida Republican power player who served as the state’s solicitor general and has argued before the U.S.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

They will be wonderfully fitted for the posts of attorney and solicitor general, but will excel, above all, as licensers for the stage.

From The Works of Samuel Johnson, Volume 06 Reviews, Political Tracts, and Lives of Eminent Persons by Johnson, Samuel