Library / English Dictionary

SOLVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of

Example:

He could not work the math problem

Synonyms:

figure out; lick; puzzle out; solve; work; work out

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "solve" is one way to...):

understand (know and comprehend the nature or meaning of)

"Solve" entails doing...:

reason (think logically)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "solve"):

answer; resolve (understand the meaning of)

riddle (explain a riddle)

strike (arrive at after reckoning, deliberating, and weighing)

guess; infer (guess correctly; solve by guessing)

answer (give the correct answer or solution to)

break (find the solution or key to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

solution (the successful action of solving a problem)

solvent (a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem)

solver (a thinker who focuses on the problem as stated and tries to synthesize information and knowledge to achieve a solution)

solving (finding a solution to a problem)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Find the solution

Example:

solve for x

Synonyms:

resolve; solve

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "solve" is one way to...):

calculate; cipher; compute; cypher; figure; reckon; work out (make a mathematical calculation or computation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "solve"):

factorise; factorize (resolve (a polynomial) into factors)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

solver (a thinker who focuses on the problem as stated and tries to synthesize information and knowledge to achieve a solution)

solving (finding a solution to a problem)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Settle, as of a debt

Example:

solve an old debt

Synonyms:

clear; solve

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "solve" is one way to...):

determine; settle; square off; square up (settle conclusively; come to terms)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

solvent (capable of meeting financial obligations)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A type of worm could help solve the growing problem of plastic pollution.

(Plastic Eating Worm Could Help Ease Pollution, VOA)

The discovery may have solved one mystery about Makemake.

(Hubble Discovers Moon Orbiting the Dwarf Planet Makemake, NASA)

The work also helps solve the "case of the missing nitrogen."

(New source of global nitrogen discovered: Earth’s bedrock, National Science Foundation)

Until now, little was known about the causes, but these findings could help solve the mystery.

(New Genetic Discovery May Eventually End Premature Birth, VOA)

But we did not have to wait long, and the problem solved itself.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The application of genetics techniques to solve practical problems.

(Applied Genetics, NCI Thesaurus)

But Martin was not satisfied. He had not licked Cheese-Face, nor had Cheese-Face licked him. The problem had not been solved.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Researchers were able to achieve a nanolaser platform that solves these issues by using photon upconversion.

(Tiny, biocompatible laser could function inside living tissues, National Science Foundation)

But he was then deep in a problem; and we attended at least an hour, before he could solve it.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

During Mercury retrograde, it is common to go back to an earlier time to fix a problem that never got solved—you have a good chance of doing so now.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)