Liquid vs. Solid — What's the Difference?

Can be seen in various forms such as beverages, hydraulic fluids, and more.

Maintains a fixed volume and shape under normal conditions.

A state of matter with definite volume but no fixed shape.

A state of matter characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume.

Easily transformable into gas under standard conditions.

Not easily deformable under external forces.

Characterized by the ability to conform to the shape of a container.

Materials with fixed shape and volume, such as ice, wood, and metal.

Substances that flow freely, examples include water and oil.

Can be crystalline or amorphous in nature.

A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, and plasma), and is the only state with a definite volume but no fixed shape.

Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy.

The state of matter in which a substance exhibits a characteristic readiness to flow and little or no tendency to disperse, and is amorphous but has a fixed volume and is difficult to compress.

Of definite shape and volume; not liquid or gaseous

Matter or a specific body of matter in this state.

(Mathematics) Of or relating to three-dimensional geometric figures or bodies.

(Linguistics) A consonant articulated without friction and capable of being prolonged like a vowel, such as English l and r.

Firm or compact in substance

Of or being a liquid.

Not hollowed out

Melted by heating

Being the same substance or color throughout

Condensed by cooling

Having no gaps or breaks; continuous

Flowing readily; fluid

Acting together; unanimous

Having a flowing quality without harshness or abrupt breaks

Written without a hyphen or space. For example, the word software is a solid compound.

(Linguistics) Articulated without friction and capable of being prolonged like a vowel.

(Printing) Having no leads between the lines.

Clear and shining

Of good quality

Existing as or readily convertible into cash

Substantial; hearty

A substance that is flowing, and keeping no shape, such as water; a substance of which the molecules, while not tending to separate from one another like those of a gas, readily change their relative position, and which therefore retains no definite shape, except that determined by the containing receptacle; an inelastic fluid.

Sound; reliable

(phonetics) Any of a class of consonant sounds that includes l and r.

Financially sound

Flowing freely like water; fluid; not solid and not gaseous; composed of particles that move freely among each other on the slightest pressure.

Upstanding or dependable

Easily sold or disposed of without losing value.

(Slang) Excellent; first-rate.

Having sufficient trading activity to make buying or selling easy.

A substance having a definite shape and volume; one that is neither liquid nor gaseous.

Flowing or sounding smoothly or without abrupt transitions or harsh tones.

(Mathematics) A geometric figure having three dimensions.

(phonology) Belonging to a class of consonants comprised of the laterals and the rhotics, which in many languages behave similarly.

Without a break or opening; completely or continuously

Fluid and transparent.

As a whole; unanimously

Flowing freely like water; fluid; not solid.

(of an object or substance) That can be picked up or held, having a texture, and usually firm. Unlike a liquid, gas or plasma.

Being in such a state that the component molecules move freely among themselves, but have a definite volume changing only slightly with changes of pressure, and do not tend to separate from each other as the particles of gases and vapors do when the volume of the container is increased; neither solid nor gaseous; as, liquid mercury, in distinction from mercury solidified or in a state of vapor.

Large in size, quantity, or value.

Flowing or sounding smoothly or without abrupt transitions or harsh tones.

Lacking holes, hollows or admixtures of other materials.

Pronounced without any jar or harshness; smooth; as, l and r are liquid letters.

Strong or unyielding.

Fluid and transparent; as, the liquid air.

(slang) Excellent, of high quality, or reliable.

Clear; definite in terms or amount.

Hearty; filling.

In cash or readily convertible into cash without loss of principle; - said of assets, such as bank accounts, or short-term bonds tradable on a major stock exchange.

Worthy of credit, trust, or esteem; substantial; not frivolous or fallacious.

A substance whose parts change their relative position on the slightest pressure, and therefore retain no definite form; any substance in the state of liquidity; a fluid that is not gaseous and has a definite volume independent, of the container in which it is held. Liquids have a fixed volume at any given pressure, but their shape is determined by the container in which it is contained. Liquids, in contrast to gases, cannot expand indefinitely to fill an expanding container, and are only slightly compressible by application of pressure.

Financially well off; wealthy.

A letter which has a smooth, flowing sound, or which flows smoothly after a mute; as, l and r, in bla, bra. M and n also are called liquids.

Sound; not weak.

A substance that is liquid at room temperature and pressure

(typography) Written as one word, without spaces or hyphens.

The state in which a substance exhibits a characteristic readiness to flow with little or no tendency to disperse and relatively high incompressibility

Not having the lines separated by leads; not open.

A substance in the fluid state of matter having no fixed shape but a fixed volume

United; without division; unanimous.

A frictionless non-nasal continuant (especially `l' and `r')

Of a single color throughout.

Filled or brimming with tears;

(of drawn lines) Continuous; unbroken; not dotted or dashed.

Clear and bright;

(dated) Having all the geometrical dimensions; cubic.

Changed from a solid to a liquid state;

(of volumes of materials) Measured as a single solid, as the volumes of individual pieces added together without any gaps.

Smooth and flowing in quality; entirely free of harshness;

(chemistry) 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).

Yielding; lacking any hint of hardness;

(geometry) A three-dimensional figure (as opposed to a surface, an area, or a curve).

Smooth and unconstrained in movement;

(informal) A favor.

In cash or easily convertible to cash;

An article of clothing which is of a single color throughout.

(in the plural) Food which is not liquid-based.

Solidly.

Without spaces or hyphens.

Having the constituent parts so compact, or so firmly adhering, as to resist the impression or penetration of other bodies; having a fixed form; hard; firm; compact; - opposed to fluid and liquid or to plastic, like clay, or to incompact, like sand.

Not hollow; full of matter; as, a solid globe or cone, as distinguished from a hollow one; not spongy; dense; hence, sometimes, heavy.

Having all the geometrical dimensions; cubic; as, a solid foot contains 1,728 solid inches.

Firm; compact; strong; stable; unyielding; as, a solid pier; a solid pile; a solid wall.

Applied to a compound word whose parts are closely united and form an unbroken word; - opposed to hyphened.

Fig.: Worthy of credit, trust, or esteem; substantial, as opposed to frivolous or fallacious; weighty; firm; strong; valid; just; genuine.

Sound; not weakly; as, a solid constitution of body.

Of a fleshy, uniform, undivided substance, as a bulb or root; not spongy or hollow within, as a stem.

Impenetrable; resisting or excluding any other material particle or atom from any given portion of space; - applied to the supposed ultimate particles of matter.

Not having the lines separated by leads; not open.

United; without division; unanimous; as, the delegation is solid for a candidate.

A substance that is held in a fixed form by cohesion among its particles; a substance not fluid.

A magnitude which has length, breadth, and thickness; a part of space bounded on all sides.

A substance that is solid at room temperature and pressure

The state in which a substance has no tendency to flow under moderate stress; resists forces (such as compression) that tend to deform it; and retains a definite size and shape

A three-dimensional shape

Of good substantial quality;

Entirely of one substance with no holes inside;

Of one substance or character throughout;

Uninterrupted in space; having no gaps or breaks;

Providing abundant nourishment;

Of good quality and condition; solidly built;

Having high moral qualities;

Not soft or yielding to pressure;

Having three dimensions;

Incapable of being seen through;

Entirely of a single color throughout;

Acting together as a single undiversified whole;

Temperature increases can cause liquids to expand and become less dense, whereas solids typically expand less and maintain their density.

Solids do not flow like liquids; they maintain a fixed shape unless physically broken or melted.

A liquid is defined by its ability to flow freely and assume the shape of its container while maintaining a constant volume.

Not all liquids are transparent; opacity varies depending on the substance, like oils or molten metals.

Liquids are used in hydraulic systems because their slight compressibility allows them to transfer pressure effectively.

The main difference is that liquid molecules are loosely arranged and free to move, while solid molecules are tightly packed and fixed in place.

Common properties of solids include fixed volume and shape, structural rigidity, and resistance to forces.

Pressure can slightly compress liquids but has little effect on the volume of solids due to their rigid structures.

Liquids need containers to contain them due to their inability to maintain a fixed shape.

Solids cannot take the shape of their container unless they are reshaped or melted into a liquid form.

Density in solids is generally higher and less variable than in liquids, which can change density with temperature changes.

Substances are solid at room temperature due to strong intermolecular forces keeping the molecules tightly bound.

Cooling generally causes liquids to contract and potentially freeze into solids, while solids may contract slightly but maintain their structure.

Gases have neither fixed volume nor shape, greatly differing from the more structured forms of liquids and solids.

Not all solids are hard; solids like rubber are quite flexible, although they maintain a fixed volume and shape.