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.
“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 also pushed Sauer to say whether his rule would deny birthright citizenship to all Native people, which the solicitor general could not answer definitively.
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
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 Williams, George Washington
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.
