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''solicit'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260904152658-00-⌔

solicit - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Verb

solicit (third-person singular simple present solicits, present participle soliciting, simple past and past participle solicited)

  • (transitive) To persistently endeavor to obtain an object, or bring about an event.
    • ✤ Synonyms: supplicate, thig
    • ✤ Coordinate terms: pester, beg, agitate
    • ✤ to solicit alms, or a favour
    • ✤ I view my crime, but kindle at the view,
      Repent old pleasures, and solicit new.
      Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?      1
  • (transitive) To woo; to court.
    • ✤ Synonyms: address, romance
    • ✤ American railroads are not permitted to operate long-haul road routes, but the I.C.C. decision of 1954 did permit them to solicit trailer business in, say, New York for Chicago provided the trailer was piggybacked in between.2
  • (transitive) To persuade or incite one to commit some act, especially illegal or sexual behavior.
    • ✤ That fruit […] sollicited her longing eye.3
    • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:, Book II, Chapter 1
      • ✤ Sounds and some tangible qualities fail not to solicit their proper senses, and force an entrance to the mind.
    • ✤ If you want to lose your virginity, you should try to solicit some fine looking women.
  • (transitive) To offer to perform sexual activity, especially when for a payment.
    • ✤ My girlfriend tried to solicit me for sex, but I was tired.
  • To make a petition.
    • ✤ Synonyms: appeal, petition, request
  • (archaic, transitive) To disturb or trouble; to harass.
  • (transitive) To urge the claims of; to plead; to act as solicitor for or with reference to.
    • ✤ Synonym: plead
    • ✤ Should
      My brother henceforth study to forget
      The vow that he hath made thee, I would ever
      Solicit thy deserts.      4
  • (obsolete, rare, transitive) To disturb; to disquiet.
    • ✤ Synonym: worry
    • ✤ Hath any ill solicited thine ears?5
    • ✤ But anxious fears solicit my weak breast.6

Noun

solicit (plural solicits)

  • (chiefly archaic) Solicitation.
    • ✤ (1) How many male or female students are named (or otherwise identified) in the context of a solicit?
      (2) How many words of a solicit are directed to a particular student?      7

Etymology

From Middle English soliciten, solliciten, from Old French soliciter, solliciter, borrowed from Latin sollicitō (“stir, disturb; look after”), from sollicitus (“agitated, anxious, punctilious”, literally “thoroughly moved”), from sollus (“whole, entire”) + perfect passive participle of cieō (“shake, excite, cite, to put in motion”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: sə-lĭs’ĭt, IPA: /səˈlɪsɪt/
  • Audio (US): 🔊
  • Audio (Australia): 🔊
  • Rhymes: -ɪsɪt

Printed 2026-09-04.

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Footnotes

  1. 1717, Alexander Pope, “Eloisa to Abelard”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC: ↩

  2. 1960 November, David Morgan, ““Piggyback”—U.S. success story”, in Trains Illustrated, page 683: ↩

  3. 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a] nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a] nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC: ↩

  4. 1628, John Ford, The Lover’s Melancholy: ↩

  5. 1611-1615, George Chapman, Iliad, Book XVI ↩

  6. 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 3: ↩

  7. 2017, Lia Litosseliti, Research Methods in Linguistics, page 19: ↩