solicitation
solicitation — noun
1. a formal act of asking a person or an organization for money, help, information,
a formal act of asking a person or an organization for money, help, information, or business, often carried out in writing or in person by charities, companies, or institutions
The hospital sent a solicitation for donations to help fund its new children's wing.
collocation: solicitation for donations
Bao received a solicitation letter from a university asking alumni to fund a scholarship.
collocation: solicitation letter
Feng filed a complaint about aggressive door-to-door solicitations by companies selling home security systems.
The new law regulates solicitation of funds by phone and email to protect consumers.
- request
the broadest, most neutral term; works in formal and casual contexts alike
- appeal
more urgent or emotional, often used for help in difficult circumstances
- petition
a formal written request signed by many people, addressed to an authority
- proposal
suggests an offer or suggestion rather than a request
文法句型
solicitation + for + noun phrase
solicitation + of + noun phrase
countable as 'solicitations' when referring to specific instances
用法筆記
Unlike sense 2 (legal context of sex work), this sense covers institutional or charitable requests. The word is notably formal — in everyday conversation, 'request' or 'appeal' is more natural. Regulations around financial and charitable solicitation vary by jurisdiction.
常見錯誤
2. a legal offense that occurs when someone suggests paying another person for a se
a legal offense that occurs when someone suggests paying another person for a sexual act, particularly on a street or in a setting where other people are present
Undercover officers arrested several people on solicitation charges near the city's main train station.
legal term: solicitation charges
Yara joined a community meeting about patrols to reduce street solicitation in her area.
collocation: street solicitation
The judge dismissed the solicitation case because the offer was on private, not public, property.
During the trial, the prosecutor showed that the solicitation took place near a school playground.
- prostitution
broader term covering the entire practice of exchanging sex for money, not just the act of offering
- sex work
neutral, non-judgmental term preferred by advocacy groups
- pandering
US legal term for promoting or arranging prostitution of another person, distinct from soliciting for oneself
文法句型
solicitation + charges
arrest + for + solicitation
solicitation + laws
用法筆記
In legal contexts this sense refers specifically to offering or agreeing to sex work, not to receiving the service. The word is most common in criminal law terminology — 'solicitation' appears on police reports, court documents, and news reports about prostitution. Distinguished from sense 1 (FORMAL REQUEST) by context cues: police, arrest, charge, street, public place signal sense 2; charity, donation, fund, business, letter signal sense 1.