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
• canvas
• 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
• call upon
• beg
• hit (up)
• require
• petition
• call on
• invoke
• pray
• beseech
• 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
• call upon
• plead (to)
• importune
• supplicate
• besiege
• call on
• request
• 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
• lead on
• bait
• decoy
• allure
• inveigle
• fascinate
• rope (in)
• entrap
• trap
• enchant
• ensnare
• draw in
• enmesh
• snow
• captivate
• mesh
• magnetize
• catch
• bewitch
• snare
• charm
• immesh
• 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

Epstein had been convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution two years earlier. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025

Anemone ends up being too distancing to solicit much emotional involvement in any of them. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025

Epstein pled guilty in Florida state court in 2008 to one count each of soliciting minors for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. —Zac Anderson, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025

An Inver Grove Heights man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Thursday for soliciting girls online to send him nude photos in exchange for money. —Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 25 Sep. 2025