ABSTRACT
It is a commonplace (derived from Aristotle) that Socrates sought definitions; and it is a related, but logically distinct, commonplace, that he is to be seen seeking, or pretending to seek, them in many of Plato's earlier dialogues. It is my argument in this paper that this latter commonplace is more misleading than illuminating, in that ‘definitions’ is not without question an apt description of what Socrates means to be after in those dialogues, such as the Euthyphro, Laches, Charmides or Meno.
