solidify
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to become solid.
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to form into crystals; become crystallized.
verb
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to make or become solid or hard
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to make or become strong, united, determined, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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solidifiabilitynoun
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solidifiablenessnoun
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solidificationnoun
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solidifiernoun
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resolidifyverb
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nonsolidifiedadjective
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nonsolidifyingadjective
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solidifiableadjective
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unsolidifiedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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solidifysimple
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solidifiessimple
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have solidifiedperfect
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has solidifiedperfect
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am solidifyingprogressive
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are solidifyingprogressive
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is solidifyingprogressive
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have been solidifyingperfect progressive
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has been solidifyingperfect progressive
Past
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solidifiedsimple
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had solidifiedperfect
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was solidifyingprogressive
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were solidifyingprogressive
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had been solidifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of solidify
From the French word solidifier, dating back to 1790–1800. See solid, -ify
Explanation
To solidify is to make something solid, like water becoming ice, or a plan becoming more concrete. If you’re meeting a friend, you should solidify the plan before you go and decide where and what time to meet. To solidify is to become a solid, like lemonade solidifying into a popsicle, or dissolved sugar solidifying into yummy rock candy. Also, this word can apply to non-physical things. If a couple gets engaged, they're solidifying their relationship. Getting a promotion could solidify your career. Anything becoming firmer or more real is a type of solidifying. In any sense, whatever gets solidified becomes stronger.
Vocabulary lists containing solidify
Red Flags and Butterflies
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"Understanding Axons, Dendrites and Synapse" and "What’s Going On in Your Brain?"
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The Black Girl Survives in This One
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The northern region, which Woodard calls "Yankeeland", is rooted in the early Puritan settlers who fled religious persecution in Europe, with later additions of Germans and Scandinavian settlers helping to solidify a pluralistic outlook.
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026
It also raises the possibility that Comcast could potentially acquire Charter Communications to solidify itself as the top provider in the U.S.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
He was smart enough to give you a compliment, which can often help solidify a friendship.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
A deal would help Italian lender Intesa solidify an already strong position in its domestic market while bolstering its wealth-management, corporate and investment banking and consumer-finance businesses, RBC says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
She had wanted him to make her feel justified, solidify her right to self-pity, encourage her to occupy a larger portion of the moral high ground.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
