solve
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to find the explanation for or solution to (a mystery, problem, etc)
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maths
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to work out the answer to (a problem)
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to obtain the roots of (an equation)
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have solvedperfect
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has solvedperfect 3rd person singular
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are solvingprogressive
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am solvingprogressive 1st person singular
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solvingparticiple
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is solvingprogressive 3rd person singular
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solvessingular 3rd person
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have been solvingperfect progressive
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has been solvingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had solvedperfect
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was solvingprogressive singular
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solvedparticiple
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were solvingprogressive plural
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solvedsimple
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had been solvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of solve
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English solven, from Latin solvere “to loosen, free, release”
Explanation
To solve something is to find a solution, like figuring out the answer to a complex riddle. The verb solve is often used in mathematics, and it means to answer a math problem. You can solve other, non-mathematical problems too — like the question of what to wear when you've run out of clean clothes (your sibling's clothes!). The word solve originally came from the Latin solvere, which meant "to loosen or untie." If you think of any kind of complex problem as a knot, then the original definition of solve still makes sense!
Vocabulary lists containing solve
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"Kids Are Inventors, Too"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By applying a principle commonly found in biology, precise control at the molecular scale, and adapting it into a scalable materials technology, the researchers have demonstrated how nature-inspired design can help solve major industrial challenges.
From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026
Governments like Canada’s “pushed the idea of immigration to solve problems, and it just didn’t do anything,” said Mikal Skuterud, an economics professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
They can solve a problem if you seek a safe haven and understand the costs, fees and aforementioned tradeoffs.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
A reward for information that could solve the cold-case killing of a 4-year-old Altadena boy has jumped to $85,000.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Any fool could solve a simple crime, the thinking went, but it would take a brilliant crime for a brilliant detective to truly show his worth.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
