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

Residents of Beekman Place, including the philanthropist Audrey Hess, solicited Noguchi for ideas after construction of the United Nations headquarters displaced their neighborhood playground. —Terry Nguyen, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026

And why would a political pro waste time and money soliciting votes from noncitizens when there are millions of legal voters available to persuade? —George Skelton, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026

The judge also found fault with the Pentagon’s attempt to revise an earlier policy that restricted journalists from soliciting information, classified or unclassified, that was not approved for release. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026

The ordinance is exclusive to the Washington Square Park site and intends to prohibit the Royals from soliciting proposals from other states, counties or municipalities. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026