Solid

/ˈsɒl.ɪd/ adj, adv, noun, slang

adj, adv, noun, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A substance in the fundamental state of matter that retains its size and shape without need of a container (as opposed to a liquid or gas).
  • Grammar: solid is listed as adj, adv, noun, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: 3d, 3d object, a certain, abiding.
  • Useful contrasts: fluidic, iffy, low-quality.
  • Usage evidence: Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals.

How to use "solid"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "solid" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "solid" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "solid" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "solid" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "solid" is acting as adj, adv, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "3d" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "solid", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A substance in the fundamental state of matter that retains its size and shape without need of a container (as opposed to a liquid or gas).
  2. 2
    Acronym of Single responsibility, Open-closed, Liskov substitution, Interface segregation and Dependency inversion, a set of principles that, when followed, will lead to a created system that will likely be easier to maintain, and extend over time. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
  3. 3
    a three-dimensional object, structurally rigid, usually resistant to changes of shape or volume wordnet
  4. 4
    A three-dimensional figure (as opposed to a surface, an area, or a curve).
  5. 5
    the state in which a substance has no tendency to flow under moderate stress; resists forces (such as compression) that tend to deform it; and retains a definite size and shape wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    A favor. informal

    "Please do me a solid: lend me your car for one week."

  2. 7
    matter that is solid at room temperature and pressure wordnet
  3. 8
    An article of clothing which is of a single color throughout.

    "I prefer solids over paisleys."

  4. 9
    Food which is not liquid-based. in-plural

    "The doctor said I can't eat any solids four hours before the operation."

Adjective
  1. 1
    That can be picked up or held, having a texture, and usually firm. Unlike a liquid, gas or plasma.

    "Almost all metals are solid at room temperature."

  2. 2
    Large in size, quantity, or value.

    "Almost a quarter of a million copies is really a solid number for today's record industry. In fact, that number is more than the last two number one albums"

  3. 3
    Lacking holes, hollows or admixtures of other materials.

    "solid gold"

  4. 4
    Strong or unyielding.

    "a solid foundation"

  5. 5
    Continuous and heavy.

    "He was covered in a fine mist by then, the night skies growing more saturated by the hour. It would be a nice, solid rain before long, he figured."

Show 15 more definitions
  1. 6
    Excellent, of high quality, or reliable. slang

    "That's a solid plan."

  2. 7
    Hearty; filling.

    "a solid meal"

  3. 8
    Worthy of credit, trust, or esteem; substantial; not frivolous or fallacious.

    "the solid purpose of a sincere and virtuous answer"

  4. 9
    Financially well off; wealthy.
  5. 10
    Sound; not weak.

    "a solid constitution of body"

  6. 11
    Written as one word, without spaces or hyphens.

    "American English writes many words as solid that British English hyphenates."

  7. 12
    Not having the lines separated by leads; not open. dated
  8. 13
    United; without division; unanimous. US, slang

    "The delegation is solid for a candidate."

  9. 14
    Of a single color throughout.

    "John painted the walls solid white."

  10. 15
    United.

    "[…] the other acquired unlimited power over a solid kingdom. It would be tedious, and not very instructive, to follow the details of German public law during the middle ages : nor are the more important parts of it easily separable […]"

  11. 16
    Intimately allied or friendly with. dated

    "[…] we thus succeeded in making ourselves "solid with the administration" before we had been in a town or village forty-eight hours. The next steps in our plan of campaign were, first, to forestall suspicion in the minds of the[…]"

  12. 17
    Continuous; unbroken; not dotted or dashed.

    "The solid lines show roads, and the dotted lines footpaths."

  13. 18
    Entire, complete.

    "Loose and undisciplined the soldier lay, / Or lost in drink and game the solid day; / Porches and schools , design'd for public good, / Uncover'd, and with scaffolds cumber'd stood, / Or nodded, threatening ruin- […]"

  14. 19
    Having all the geometrical dimensions; cubic. dated

    "A solid foot contains 1,728 solid inches."

  15. 20
    Measured as a single solid, as the volumes of individual pieces added together without any gaps.
Adjective
  1. 1
    uninterrupted in space; having no gaps or breaks wordnet
  2. 2
    impenetrable for the eye wordnet
  3. 3
    having length, breadth and thickness wordnet
  4. 4
    acting together as a single undiversified whole wordnet
  5. 5
    characterized by good substantial quality wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    not soft or yielding to pressure wordnet
  2. 7
    of one substance or character throughout wordnet
  3. 8
    of the same color throughout wordnet
  4. 9
    meriting respect or esteem wordnet
  5. 10
    of a substantial character and not frivolous or superficial wordnet
  6. 11
    of definite shape and volume; firm; neither liquid nor gaseous wordnet
  7. 12
    entirely of one substance with no holes inside wordnet
  8. 13
    financially dependable wordnet
  9. 14
    of good quality and condition; solidly built wordnet
  10. 15
    providing abundant nourishment wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    Solidly.

    "True, not ten of these mines were yielding rock worth hauling to a mill, but everybody said, "Wait till the shaft gets down where the ledge comes in solid, and then you will see!""

  2. 2
    Without spaces or hyphens. not-comparable

    "Many long-established compounds are set solid."

Synonyms

All synonyms
3d3d objecta certainabidingable to payace-high

Example

"Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals."

Common questions

What does "solid" mean?

A substance in the fundamental state of matter that retains its size and shape without need of a container (as opposed to a liquid or gas).

What is a synonym for "solid"?

Common synonyms include: 3d, 3d object, a certain, abiding, able to pay, ace-high.

How do you use "solid" in a sentence?

Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals.

How do you pronounce "solid"?

Pronounced /ˈsɒl.ɪd/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English solide, borrowed from Old French solide, from Latin solidus (“solid”), from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂-i-dʰ-o-s (“entire”), suffixed form of root *solh₂- (“integrate, whole”). Doublet of sol, sold, soldo, solidus, sou, and xu.

Etymology 2

From Middle English solid, from the adjective, Middle French solide, or Latin solidum. Doublet of solidum.

More for "solid"

Synonyms

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