Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Solicit for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "solicit" — a verb, pronounced /səˈlɪs.ɪt/, with the stress on the second syllable.
Narrator: To solicit means to ask for, seek, or request something — especially support, information, money, or business.
Narrator: In plain English, to solicit is to actively ask people for something — like soliciting donations or soliciting feedback.
Narrator: It suggests a deliberate, often formal request, reaching out to others to obtain what you need.
Narrator: The word comes from Latin "sollicitare", meaning to disturb or stir up, from "sollicitus", anxious or thorough.
Narrator: From that sense of stirring someone to act, it came to mean earnestly requesting or seeking something from them.
Narrator: In business and law it is common and neutral — companies solicit bids, and researchers solicit responses.
Narrator: In register it is fairly formal, frequent in commerce, surveys, fundraising, and official communication.
Narrator: So remember: to solicit is to ask for or seek something deliberately — reaching out to gather what you need.
Speaker A: We're soliciting feedback from every beta user before the launch — the more responses, the better.
Speaker B: Smart move. "Solicit" is the right word there — actively asking, not just waiting for it to arrive.
Speaker A: Exactly. And the charity's been soliciting donations for the new wing all month.
Speaker B: Right. It's a deliberate, organised ask — that's what separates soliciting from simply hoping.
Speaker A: I like that distinction. A common mistake is thinking it always sounds negative.
Speaker B: Good point. In business it's perfectly neutral — "we solicit bids from suppliers" is everyday language.
Speaker A: And the "No soliciting" sign on doors is the more informal, sales sense.
Speaker B: Exactly. Context decides the tone entirely. Close synonyms? "Request", "seek", and "canvass".
Speaker A: Though "canvass" suggests going round many people, while "solicit" can be a single ask.
Speaker B: Right, and "request" is gentler — "solicit" feels more active and purposeful.
Speaker A: A useful, businesslike word for actively asking and gathering.
Speaker B: Let's use "solicit" in AI prompts to mean actively gathering input — asking users or systems for what you need.
Speaker A: So solicit in a prompt means building something that requests and collects responses?
Speaker B: Exactly. For a feedback feature, you'd write:
Prompt: Build a feature that solicits feedback after each support chat — a short rating, one open comment box, and a thank-you message. Store every response and solicit feedback solely once per conversation.
Speaker B: The word "solicit" makes the intent active — the system reaches out and asks, rather than waiting passively.
Speaker A: Clear and practical. What about a survey tool?
Speaker B: Try this:
Prompt: Create a survey module that solicits user opinions on a new feature — multiple-choice and free-text questions, a progress bar, and a results dashboard. Solicit responses by email and in-app, then chart the answers.
Speaker A: So it gathers and visualises the input.
Speaker B: Right. For a vendor bidding system:
Prompt: Design an HR procurement tool that solicits quotes from approved vendors — send each a request, collect their bids in one table, and rank them by price and delivery time. Solicit at least three quotes per item.
Speaker A: What about gathering reviews?
Speaker B: Here you go:
Prompt: Add a flow that solicits product reviews seven days after delivery — a friendly email with a star widget and a comment field. Solicit one review per order and never send a reminder more than twice.
Speaker A: Could solicit work for collecting form data too?
Speaker B: Absolutely:
Prompt: Build an onboarding form that solicits the essentials only — name, role, and team. Solicit nothing optional up front, and ask for extra details later once the user is comfortable using the app.
Speaker A: So "solicit" means actively ask for and gather what you need.
Speaker B: Exactly — a businesslike word that tells the AI to build something that requests and collects input.
Solicit — meaning in Arabic & definition More S courses GL Dictionary