solid

1 of 3

adjective

sol·​id ˈsä-ləd 

1

a

: being without an internal cavity

a solid ball of rubber

b(1)

: printed with minimum space between lines

(2)

: joined without a hyphen

a solid compound

c

: not interrupted by a break or opening

a solid wall

2

: having, involving, or dealing with three dimensions or with solids

a solid configuration

3

a

: of uniformly close and coherent texture : not loose or spongy : compact

b

: possessing or characterized by the properties of a solid : neither gaseous nor liquid

solid waste

4

: of good substantial quality or kind

solid comfort

: such as

a

: sound

solid reasons

b

: made firmly and well

solid furniture

c

: reliable

a solid performer

5

a

: having no break or interruption

waited three solid hours

b

: unanimous

had the solid support of the party

c

: intimately friendly or associated

solid with the boss

6

a

: prudent

also : well established financially

b

: serious in purpose or character

7

: of one substance or character: such as

a

: entirely of one metal or containing the minimum of alloy necessary to impart hardness

solid gold

b

: of a single color

solidly adverb

solidness noun

solid

2 of 3

noun

1

: a geometrical figure or element (such as a cube or sphere) having three dimensions see Volume Formulas Table

2

a

: a substance that does not flow perceptibly under moderate stress, has a definite capacity for resisting forces (such as compression or tension) which tend to deform it, and under ordinary conditions retains a definite size and shape

b

: the part of a solution or suspension that when freed from solvent or suspending medium has the qualities of a solid

—usually used in plural

milk solids of protein and lactose

3

: something that is solid: such as

a

: a solid color

b

: a compound word whose members are joined together without a hyphen

4

US slang : favor sense 3a

Ted Evans might be one of those people. … "Can you do me a solid and watch my stuff?" he'll ask, returning the favor if anyone else needs to do the same.

—Laylan Connelly

So her husband did her a solid and dropped her off for the afternoon, where she was free to sketch some of the exhibits …

—Steven Lemongello

solid

3 of 3

adverb

: in a solid manner

also : unanimously

Synonyms

Adjective

• commonsense
• commonsensible
• commonsensical
• firm
• good
• hard
• informed
• just
• justified
• levelheaded
• logical
• rational
• reasonable
• reasoned
• sensible
• sober
• valid
• well-founded

Examples of solid in a Sentence

Adjective

Concrete is a solid material.

When ice melts, it passes from a solid to a liquid form.

I was on a liquid diet when I was sick because I couldn't digest solid food.

I was glad to get off the plane and back on solid ground.

The pond was frozen solid.

The ring is solid gold.

a chunk of solid marble

I prefer solid colors like blue or green instead of plaids and stripes.

Noun

She couldn't eat solids after the surgery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Blackwood was coming off a 44-save performance in the Sharks’ 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, continuing a trend of solid play. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024

The 100 denier nylon was plenty hearty for our stress testing as were the large zippers with solid straightforward pulls. —Joe Jackson, Outside Online, 14 Nov. 2024

Noun

Red Wine or Dark-Colored Food Stains As quickly as possible, lift away any solids and blot, blot, blot away the moisture. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2024

Starting around the turn of the 20th century, physicists began to understand that the behaviors of the tiniest bits of our world couldn’t be explained by the laws of classical physics—the type that governs macroscopic solids, gases, liquids, and the forces that act on them. —Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024

Adverb

In an ideology-dominant society, everything fluid turns to stone; in a market-dominant society, everything solid melts into air. —George Scialabba, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2015

With 15-Inch Screen for $900 ($300 off) There's the solid-performing 2 GHz Intel Core i7 processor and 8 GB of RAM, but the star of the spec sheets is the 512 GB solid-state drive for storage. —Matt Jancer, Wired, 8 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English solide, from Middle French, from Latin solidus; akin to Greek holos whole — more at safe

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1651, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing solid

• (as) solid as a rock
• packed solid
• regular solid
• rock solid
• solid angle
• solid as a rock
• solid geometry
• solid-looking
• solid of revolution
• solid-state

Kids Definition

solid

1 of 2 adjective

sol·​id ˈsäl-əd 

1

a

: not hollow

b

: written as one word

a solid compound

2

: having, involving, or dealing with solids : cubic sense 2

a solid geometric shape

3

a

: not loose or spongy : compact

a solid mass of rock

b

: neither gaseous nor liquid

solid ice

solid waste

4

: of good sturdy quality or kind

solid comfort

solid reasons

5

a

: not interrupted

for three solid hours

b

: being in complete agreement : unanimous, united

solid for pay increases

6

a

: thoroughly dependable : reliable

a solid citizen

b

: earnest or important in purpose

solid reading

7

: of one material, kind, or color

solid gold

solid adverb

solidly adverb

solidness noun

solid

2 of 2 noun

1

: a geometric figure or element (as a cube or a sphere) having three dimensions

2

: a solid substance : a substance that keeps its size and shape

Medical Definition

solid

1 of 2 adjective

sol·​id ˈsäl-əd 

1

: being without an internal cavity : not hollow

solid tumors

2

: possessing or characterized by the properties of a solid : neither gaseous nor liquid

3

of immunity : capable of resisting severe challenge

solidly adverb

solid

2 of 2 noun

1

: a substance that does not flow perceptibly under moderate stress, has a definite capacity for resisting forces (as compression or tension) which tend to deform it, and under ordinary conditions retains a definite size and shape

2

: the part of a solution or suspension that when freed from solvent or suspending medium has the qualities of a solid

—usually used in plural

milk solids