solicitation

/səˌlɪsɪˈteɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /səˌlɪsɪˈteɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /sə-ˌli-sə-ˈtā-shən/ (ame, mw)

solicitation — 名詞

  • solicitationsingular
  • solicitationsplural

1. a formal act of asking a person or an organization for money, help, information,

1.名詞B2
釋義

請託；徵求

正式請求金錢、資訊或幫助的行為

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

例句

The hospital sent a solicitation for donations to help fund its new children's wing.

醫院發出了募款請託，以協助資助新的兒童醫療大樓。

collocation: solicitation for donations

Bao received a solicitation letter from a university asking alumni to fund a scholarship.

阿寶收到一封來自大學的募款函，懇請校友捐助獎學金。

collocation: solicitation letter

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞

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

❌My friend made a solicitation for a ride to the airport.
✅My friend asked me for a ride to the airport.
💡Solicitation implies a formal or institutional request, not a casual personal favor.
❌The solicitation of the new law was successful.
✅The solicitation of support for the new law was successful.
💡You must specify what is being requested (money, support, information); the word cannot stand alone without an object.

2. a legal offense that occurs when someone suggests paying another person for a se

2.名詞C1
釋義

性交易；拉客

以金錢為目的提供性服務的法律罪行

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

例句

Undercover officers arrested several people on solicitation charges near the city's main train station.

便衣警察在市區主要火車站附近，以性交易要約罪逮捕了數人。

legal term: solicitation charges

Yara joined a community meeting about patrols to reduce street solicitation in her area.

雅拉參加了一場社區會議，討論增加警察巡邏以減少街頭拉客的問題。

collocation: street solicitation

同義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

❌He was arrested for solicitation of money from a stranger.
✅He was arrested for solicitation
💡the undercover officer understood it as an offer of sex for money.' — In legal contexts, 'solicitation' alone refers to sex-for-money offers, not to asking for money generally.