solicit

verb

so·​lic·​it sə-ˈli-sət 

solicited; soliciting; solicits

transitive verb

1

formal

a

: to approach (someone) with a request or plea

solicited Congress for funding

The company is soliciting firms for bids.

b

: to make petition to : entreat

solicit the king for relief

2

formal : to try to obtain (something) by usually urgent requests or pleas

The center solicited donations to help victims of the earthquake.

solicited feedback from their users

They were charged with soliciting bribes.

3

formal : to offer to engage in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse with (someone) in exchange for pay

4

dated : to entice or lure especially into something unlawful or wrong : to lead astray

5

obsolete : to urge (something, such as one's cause) strongly

intransitive verb

1

formal : to make solicitation : to request urgently : importune

The organization is soliciting for donations.

2

formal : to offer to engage in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse with someone in exchange for pay

Did you know?

What object does solicit take?

When used as a transitive verb, solicit can take as an object either the thing being requested or the source from which the thing is requested:

Enterprising capitalists have been soliciting funds on the Internet for years, turning to a passel of sites like Kickstarter to aggregate small commitments from like-minded individuals on behalf of a new idea or worthy cause.
Dave Flessner, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, 5 Nov. 2015

County supervisors and staff spent much of the remainder of the board retreat planning for a series of focus groups that will solicit community input for the strategic plan.
Carmen Forman, The Roanoke Times, 31 Jan. 2016

They could be so nimble because they aggressively solicited a small group of doubters and broadcast their misgivings as if they were based on rigorous and systematic research.
Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007

They are among the 9,500 volunteers, says the campaign, who have signed up to solicit their friends and families by hosting individual fund-raising Web pages for Obama.
Karen Tumulty, Time, 16 July 2007

Synonyms

• canvass
• canvas
• interview
• poll
• survey

Choose the Right Synonym for solicit

ask, request, solicit mean to seek to obtain by making one's wants known.

ask implies no more than the statement of the desire.

ask a favor of a friend

request implies greater formality and courtesy.

requests the pleasure of your company

solicit suggests a calling attention to one's wants or desires by public announcement or advertisement.

a letter soliciting information

Examples of solicit in a Sentence

The center is soliciting donations to help victims of the earthquake.

The company is soliciting bids from various firms.

The organization is soliciting new memberships.

The newspaper's editors want to solicit opinions from readers.

The organization is soliciting for donations.

Special interest groups are soliciting Congress for funds.

The prostitutes were arrested for soliciting customers.

Recent Examples on the Web

The organization also solicited contributions at several area events, including the 2023 Gardner Pride Celebration, the 2024 Olathe Pride event and other gatherings across Kansas. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2025

Democrats defended the amendment despite comments from Newsom, who said that anyone who solicits a minor should be charged with a felony. —Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025

The intent of the text is to solicit a reply, to trick the recipient into a chat. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

The flight transcript indicates that Sully solicited the opinion of his co-pilot before making such a drastic decision, which is exactly what Fielder wanted to achieve. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 5 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to disturb, promote, from Anglo-French solliciter, from Latin sollicitare to disturb, from sollicitus anxious, from sollus whole (from Oscan; akin to Greek holos whole) + citus, past participle of ciēre to move — more at safe, -kinesis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Rhymes for solicit

• complicit
• elicit
• explicit
• illicit
• implicit
• licit

Kids Definition

solicit

verb

so·​lic·​it sə-ˈlis-ət 

1

: entreat, beg

especially : to approach with a request or appeal

2

: to appeal for

solicited the help of neighbors

3

a

: to lead especially into evil

b

: to approach for sinful purposes

solicitation

-ˌlis-ə-ˈtā-shən

noun

Legal Definition

solicit

transitive verb

so·​lic·​it sə-ˈli-sət 

1

: to make petition to

solicit the court

2

: to ask, induce, advise, or command (a person) to do something and especially to commit a crime compare coerce, importune

3

: to attempt to persuade (a person) to purchase something

4

: to attempt to bring about or obtain by soliciting a person

solicit bribes

intransitive verb

1

: to make solicitation

2

of a prostitute : to offer to have sexual relations with someone for money