Solve

//sɑlv// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A solution; an explanation. archaic

    "The solve is this, that thou dost common grow."

Verb
  1. 1
    To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.

    "True piety would effectually solve such scruples."

  2. 2
    find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of wordnet
  3. 3
    to find out the perpetrator, the motive etc (of crime)

    "to solve a murder   to solve a crime"

  4. 4
    find the solution wordnet
  5. 5
    To find the values of variables that satisfy a system of equations and/or inequalities.
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    settle, as of a debt wordnet
  2. 7
    To algebraically manipulate an equation or inequality into a form that isolates a chosen variable on one side, so that the other side consists of an expression that may be used to generate solutions.
  3. 8
    To loosen or separate the parts of. transitive
  4. 9
    To loosen or separate the parts of.; To dissolve archaic, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
resolvepuzzle outresolvework outdecipherunriddle

Example

More examples

"You are too clever not to solve the hard problem."

Etymology

From Middle English solven, from Latin solvō.

Related phrases

problem-solvere-solvework out

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.