saturate

[ verb sach-uh-reyt; adjective noun sach-er-it, -uh-reyt ]

verb (used with object)

, sat·u·rat·ed, sat·u·rat·ing.

1. to cause (a substance) to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance, through solution, chemical combination, or the like.
2. to charge to the utmost, as with magnetism.
3. to soak, impregnate, or imbue thoroughly or completely:

   to saturate a sponge with water; a town saturated with charm.

4. to destroy (a target) completely with bombs and missiles.
5. to send so many planes over (a target area) that the defensive electronic tracking equipment becomes ineffective.
6. to furnish (a market) with goods to its full purchasing capacity.

verb (used without object)

, sat·u·rat·ed, sat·u·rat·ing.

1. to become saturated.

adjective

1. saturated.

noun

1. a saturated fat or fatty acid.

saturate

verb

1. to fill, soak, or imbue totally
2. to make (a chemical compound, vapour, solution, magnetic material, etc) saturated or (of a compound, vapour, etc) to become saturated
3. tr military to bomb or shell heavily

adjective

1. See saturated
   a less common word for saturated

Derived Forms

• ˌsatuˈrater, noun

Other Words From

• de·satu·rate verb (used with object) desaturated desaturating
• over·satu·rate verb (used with object) oversaturated oversaturating

Word History and Origins

Origin of saturate¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin saturātus (past participle of saturāre “to fill”), equivalent to satur- “full, well-fed” ( sad ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of saturate¹

C16: from Latin saturāre, from satur sated, from satis enough

Synonym Study

See wet.

Example Sentences

As one Democratic strategist told The Daily Beast, “For a very small investment, you could saturate TV” in South Dakota.

From The Daily Beast

Mix it together and let it sit for about ten minutes so the chia seeds can saturate.

From The Daily Beast

Saturate cinemas with a glut of shoddy franchise flicks, and only a few are going to stick, no matter the star.

From The Daily Beast

Saturate the American public until we forget that anything or anyone else exists or is even an option in 2012.

From The Daily Beast

A good practice is to lead the sheep into the water and saturate the fleece, after which they are taken ashore.

From Project Gutenberg

Add a few drops of sodium nitroprusside solution, make alkaline with ammonia, then saturate with ammonium sulphate crystals.

From Project Gutenberg

Cover the bottom of the jar with a layer of cotton-wool and saturate it with formalin.

From Project Gutenberg

Give plenty of air at all favourable opportunities, and saturate the atmosphere with moisture.

From Project Gutenberg

On level, and even high prairie land, water will stand in winter, and thoroughly saturate the soil and freeze up.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• douse
• imbue
• immerse
• impregnate
• infuse
• penetrate
• permeate
• pervade
• soak
• steep
• suffuse
• wash