Etymology 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.
Of an object or substance 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
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 albums2015 July 8, “Rapper Meek Mill Charts His First Number One Album”, in Forbes:
Americans increased their borrowing by a solid amount in September. But the gain was less than half the big August surge2018 November 7, “Consumer borrowing up solid $10.9 billion in September”, in Journal Record:
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On top of that, the speaker is big, so you may have to set aside a solid amount of space for it.2018 November 7, Christian de Looper, “The best Google Assistant smart speakers you can buy”, in Business Insider:
3
Lacking holes, hollows or admixtures of other materials.
solid gold
solid chocolate
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The cane was undoubtedly of foreign make, for it had a solid silver ferrule at one end, which was not English hall–marked.1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Ayrsham Mystery”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
4
Strong or unyielding.
a solid foundation
As in the 1-0 win against Norway in Oslo, this was an England performance built on the foundations of solid defence and tactical discipline.2012 June 2, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Belgium”, in BBC Sport:
5
Of rain 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.2011 April 1, J.N. Duncan, Deadworld, Kensington Publishing Corp., →ISBN:
The ground above looked like it might give out again in a solid rain. The opposite bank promised even less. The river bent around acres of mud pocked with knots of grass and cattail spikes. I was tired. Despite the dangers of camping on such unstable ground, I dragged the canoe up the bank[…]2015 May 1, Patrick Dobson, Canoeing the Great Plains: A Missouri River Summer, U of Nebraska Press, →ISBN, page 128:
Radiohead's on tour! Have you heard their latest album yet? It's quite solid.
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I don't think Dave would have done that. He's a solid dude.
Heading home from a party, two hipsters, completely stoned, pause to snuggle on a park bench. A fire engine roars by, bells clanging, sirens screaming. The boy flips. “Solid, doll,” he murmurs, “they’re playing our song!”1952 September 29, “"BOP VOCABULARY" section, inside of "That Crazy Bop Joke Craze"”, in LIFE Magazine, New York, U.S., page 69:
7
Hearty; filling.
a solid meal
8
Worthy of credit, trust, or esteem; substantial; not frivolous or fallacious.
the solid purpose of a sincere and virtuous answer1670, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC:
Theſe are they, who wanting Wit, affect Gravity, and go by the name of Solid men: and a ſolid man is, in plain English, a ſolid, ſolemn Fool.1675, John Dryden, “To the Right Honourable, John, Earl of Mulgrave, […]”, in Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC:
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1875-1886, J. A. Symonds, Renaissance in Italy: The revival of learning The genius of the Italians wrought by solid toil what the myth-making imagination of the Germans had projected in a poem.
[…] 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 […]1853, Henry Hallam, View of the State of Europe During the Middle Ages, page 203:
[…] a solid New England vote. Even with all New England for him, Mr. Olney could scarcely carry the convention, because he is still hated by the populist and the labor and socialist elements of his party.[…]1904, Walter Hines Page, Arthur Wilson Page, The World's Work, page 4389:
[…] 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[…]1891, George Kennan, Siberia and the Exile System, page 306:
I wanted to get solid with him for a time while he lived, but I believe he might have been worked into Paradise with half the scheming that was necessary before he deigned to look favorably upon me.1895, Outing, page 64:
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[Image of a man labelled 'League of Nations' pointing to a picture of a woman labelled 'Democracy Wilson'.] "If I can only get solid with her I stand a chance in this peace game." - The Passing Show (London).1919, Literary Digest: a Repository of Contemporaneous Thought and Research as Presented in the Periodical Literature of the World, page 19:
17
Of drawn lines Continuous; unbroken; not dotted or dashed.
The solid lines show roads, and the dotted lines footpaths.
18
Of time 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- […]1822 [1718?], Matthew Prior, The Poems of Matthew Prior ..., page 253:
19
Dated Having all the geometrical dimensions; cubic.
A solid foot contains 1,728 solid inches.
"What have plane figures to do with solid orbits? Solid bodies ought to be used for solid orbits."1841, David Brewster, The Martyrs of Science: Or, The Lives of Galileo, Tycho Brahe, and Kepler, page 209:
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[…] the rules […] for measuring different superficial or solid figures will be found under the several heads: the two fundamental[…]1861, Charles Knight, The English Cyclopaedia: Cyclopaedia of arts and sciences, page 669:
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Of volumes of materials Measured as a single solid, as the volumes of individual pieces added together without any gaps.
Etymology 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.
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!"1870–1871 (date written), Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XLIV, in Roughing It, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company [et al.], published 1872, →OCLC, page 306:
Hm-m-—These papers are complete—They make Mortimer and Matilda the legal guardians of Babs—ought to put me in more solid than ever with Miss Effie—and that home is good graft.1937 March 7, Marsh, “Dan Dunn-Secret Operative 48”, in Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune:
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Suppose, then, a whole family got sick with this flu, and no help around, and winter setting in solid and cold three weeks early?1943, Wallace Stegner, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, →ISBN, page 246:
set a new high in baseball for the year, not only ending speculation as to when Durocher would be fired but putting him in more solid than ever before.1943 July 16, “Dodger Rebellion Is Settled With One Dramatic Flourish”, in Youngstown (OH) Vindicator:
She was telling Bobbie about the time when Boko Fittleworth was trying to ingratiate himself with your Uncle Percy, and you very sportingly offered to go and call your Uncle Percy a lot of offensive names, so that Boko, hovering outside the door, could come in and stick up for him, thus putting himself in solid with him.1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
If true, that means he deliberately risked American and French lives, and maybe the battle, in order to get in solid with Lafayette.1997, David Ambrose, Superstition, →ISBN, page 239:
Etymology From Middle English solid, from the adjective, Middle French solide, or Latin solidum. Doublet of solidum.
1
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences 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
Geometry, Mathematics, Sciences A three-dimensional figure (as opposed to a surface, an area, or a curve).
Please do me a solid: lend me your car for one week.
I owe him; he did me a solid last year.
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Fortunately, the president of our illustrious institution has been after me for a year to get Francis Ford Coppola to speak at next year's commencement, and Francis owes me a solid.2010, Loren D. Estleman, Frames, page 54:
You can't make a move till you have about a year in a precinct, but tell you what, stay in touch. Lots a people still owe me a solid or two on the Job.2012, Robert Cea, No Lights, No Sirens: The Corruption and Redemption of an Inner City Cop, page 61:
Thomas had seemed ready to spend the night on the couch, and now he couldn't get out of here fast enough. Hopping up, I followed after him. "Thanks again, Thomas," I said, opening the door for him. "I owe you a solid."2013, Nicole Williams, Crush:
4
An article of clothing which is of a single color throughout.
I prefer solids over paisleys.
5
In plural Food which is not liquid-based.
The doctor said I can't eat any solids four hours before the operation.