solicitation

noun

so·​lic·​i·​ta·​tion sə-ˌli-sə-ˈtā-shən 

plural solicitations

1

formal : the practice or act or an instance of soliciting

email/telephone solicitations

Unauthorized solicitation is prohibited.

sometimes : an urgent or persistent request : entreaty, importunity

I laid the matter before him, but he was disinclined to attempt the unfamiliar task. The editors, however, renewed their solicitations.

—Adam Badeau †1895

2

formal : a quality or force that moves or draws : incitement, allurement

… a vigilance against the solicitations of dejection and despair.

—newyorker.com

Synonyms of solicitation

• plea
• appeal
• prayer
• petition

Examples of solicitation in a Sentence

the mail is always full of solicitations from worthy causes

Recent Examples on the Web

Epstein received a campaign donation solicitation from a fundraising firm in 2013 that included an invitation to a private event with Jeffries, then a rising Democrat from Brooklyn. —Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2025

Other grant solicitations should be answered in December before closing on the land, with cleanup expected to be completed through the spring. —Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025

Virginia police looking for the missing coach of an undefeated high school football team obtained an arrest warrant in connection with a child pornography and computer solicitation investigation. —Christian Orozco, NBC news, 26 Nov. 2025

The prototype contracts stem from a Space Force solicitation issued in September seeking designs for boost-phase interceptors, systems intended to destroy an enemy missile within the first few minutes of launch. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for solicitation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Legal Definition

solicitation

noun

so·​lic·​i·​ta·​tion sə-ˌli-sə-ˈtā-shən 

: an act or practice or an instance of soliciting

solicitation of a proxy for a shareholder vote

specifically : the crime of soliciting someone to commit a crime (as murder)