Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To find an answer to, explanation for, or way of dealing with (a problem, for example).
  • intransitive verb To solve an equation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Solution.
  • To loosen; disentangle; unravel; hence, to explain or clear up the difficulties in; resolve; explain; make clear; remove perplexity from: as, to solve a difficulty, a puzzle, or a problem.
  • To determine; put an end to; settle.
  • To determine or work out by rule; operate on by calculation or mathematical processes, so as to bring out the required result: as, to solve a problem in mathematics.
  • To dissolve; melt.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To explain; to resolve; to unfold; to clear up (what is obscure or difficult to be understood); to work out to a result or conclusion.
  • noun obsolete A solution; an explanation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.
  • verb mathematics To find the values of variables that satisfy a system of equations and/or inequalities.
  • verb mathematics 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.
  • noun obsolete A solution; an explanation.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb find the solution
  • verb settle, as of a debt
  • verb find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English solven, to loosen, from Latin solvere; see leu- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin solvo.

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Examples

  • Too often the result of such instruction is students who can add when told to add, or solve quadratic equations when told to �solve the following quadratic equations,� but cannot decide when to use these techniques in solving problems.

    Archive 2008-03-01 Jim Horn 2008

  • Too often the result of such instruction is students who can add when told to add, or solve quadratic equations when told to �solve the following quadratic equations,� but cannot decide when to use these techniques in solving problems.

    Noddings Commentary Jim Horn 2008

  • I want to travel, see the sites, maybe solve some -- "She almost said _solve some murders_, but finished lamely," -- solve some problems in magnesium technology. "

    Analog Science Fiction and Fact 2004

  • Always, the main problem to solve is to help the user to find "the needle in the haystack".

    Archive 2008-01-01 2008

  • Always, the main problem to solve is to help the user to find "the needle in the haystack".

    European Common Lisp Meeting 2008, April 20, Amsterdam 2008

  • Israel's foreign minister has suggested that France and Spain solve Europe's problems before lecturing his country on how to deal with the Israeli-Arab conflict.

    Israeli FM: Europe Should Solve Own Problems Before Ours 2010

  • Israel's foreign minister has suggested that France and Spain solve Europe's problems before lecturing his country on how to deal with the Israeli-Arab conflict.

    Israeli FM: Europe Should Solve Own Problems Before Ours 2010

  • Levy also says that along with scheduling, figuring out the mystery that the grown up Hardy boys need to solve is also a key element to figure out before moving forward.

    Shawn Levy Gives Update on HARDY MEN – Collider.com 2010

  • A brilliant puzzle that no one can solve is called a “failure.”

    The Big Puzzle Party Wrap-Up! 2009

  • A brilliant puzzle that no one can solve is called a “failure.”

    Archive 2009-04-01 2009

Comments

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  • In North American sports reporting, to score against for the first time in a game:

    "Taylor Pyatt finally solved Detroit netminder Chris Osgood at 2:27 of the second, pouncing on a loose puck after he and Kyle Wellwood forced little Wing Jiri Hudler into a turnover in his own slot area."

    - Canucks ride high after fourth straight win, Vancouver Sun, 11-25-08.

    Taylor Pyatt, a great hockey name.

    November 26, 2008

  • What language is this?

    April 19, 2009

  • One of the simplest copy writing formulas is to state the customer's problem, tell them you can solve it and then tell them precisely how you're going to solve it.

    '15 words that will make you money'

    July 24, 2009