Synonyms of solicit

solicit

verb

sə-ˈli-sət 

1

as in to survey

to go around and approach (people) with a request for opinions or information

solicited several opinions about which job he should accept

Synonyms & Similar Words

• survey
• interview
• canvass
• poll
• interrogate
• question
• circularize
• sound (out)
• feel (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• report

2

as in to seek

to make a request for

always ready to solicit donations for a charity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• seek
• request
• require
• desire
• speak (for)
• sue (for)
• call (for)
• plead (for)
• urge
• ask (for)
• invite
• quest
• apply (for)
• demand
• bespeak
• importune
• wish (for)
• invoke
• beg (for)
• claim
• insist (on)
• enjoin
• press (for)
• clamor (for)
• exact
• requisition
• petition (for)

3

as in to ask

to make a request of

solicited him to join the team

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ask
• invite
• request
• beg
• hit (up)
• require
• call on
• petition
• invoke
• beseech
• pray
• appeal (to)
• conjure
• implore
• plead (to)
• entreat
• importune
• supplicate
• enjoin
• demand
• exact
• press

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• require
• compel
• force
• coerce
• constrain
• oblige

4

as in to beg

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner

solicit the President for relief funds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beg
• petition
• ask
• implore
• beseech
• pray
• entreat
• conjure
• appeal (to)
• require
• plead (to)
• importune
• supplicate
• besiege
• request
• call on
• compel
• invoke
• impetrate
• coerce
• desire
• insist
• cadge
• force
• demand
• mooch
• sponge
• bludge
• claim
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suggest
• imply
• please
• hint
• intimate
• satisfy
• oblige
• gratify
• appease
• placate
• conciliate
• pacify
• content
• comfort
• quiet
• mollify
• console

5

as in to tempt

to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage

how many men have been solicited into purchasing bogus aids for "male enhancement" by shameless appeals to their vanity?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tempt
• persuade
• seduce
• entice
• lure
• betray
• beguile
• bait
• lead on
• allure
• decoy
• fascinate
• rope (in)
• entrap
• trap
• enchant
• draw in
• inveigle
• ensnare
• snow
• mesh
• captivate
• catch
• magnetize
• enmesh
• snare
• bewitch
• charm
• tangle
• wile

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• warn
• alert
• ward (off)
• caution
• drive (away or off)
• forewarn
• turn away
• repulse

Synonym Chooser

How is the word solicit distinct from other similar verbs?

The words ask and request are common synonyms of solicit. While all three words mean "to seek to obtain by making one's wants known," solicit suggests a calling attention to one's wants or desires by public announcement or advertisement.

a letter soliciting information

When is ask a more appropriate choice than solicit?

The words ask and solicit can be used in similar contexts, but ask implies no more than the statement of the desire.

ask a favor of a friend

Where would request be a reasonable alternative to solicit?

The words request and solicit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, request implies greater formality and courtesy.

requests the pleasure of your company

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of solicit

Track both retention and conversion rates to employment; solicit ongoing feedback from interns, managers and co-workers; and communicate regularly with partner organizations. — Michelle Sims, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Selected from submissions that OpenAI solicited earlier this year as part of a sweeping policy document, the 14 projects will collectively receive $1 million in funding in addition to up to $1 million in credits to use OpenAI’s models. — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Global Giving, a nonprofit that connects other nonprofits to donors, is soliciting funds for a variety of services in Indonesia in the aftermath of the earthquake, including food packages, clean drinking water, shelters, and health services. — Connor Greene, Time, 17 Aug. 2026

The organizations are calling the collaboration Daisy Chain Reaction, soliciting volunteers for dozens of community events across Los Angeles and into Orange County. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026