verb
solicit
suh-LIH-siht
verb
1
To ask for or try to obtain something, often persistently or formally.
"The charity solicited donations from local businesses."
"The magazine solicits reader feedback every issue."
2
To offer sex for money, especially in public.
"He was arrested for soliciting near the train station."
How to Use Solicit
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo formally or persistently ask for something (like money, opinions, or business), or, in a specific legal sense, to offer paid sex in public.
When to use it
The sexual sense is common in legal and news contexts (e.g. "arrested for soliciting"); the general "ask for" sense is used in business and everyday writing.
Common pairings
solicit donations
solicit feedback
solicit business
Word Forms
solicited past tense, solicits plural, solicits singular
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The charity _____ donations from local businesses.
Etymology
From Old French soliciter, from Latin sollicitāre ("to stir up, disturb, urge"), from sollicitus ("agitated, anxious").