settee
Americannoun
-
settees
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of settee
First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps variant of settle 2
Explanation
A settee is similar to a loveseat, an upholstered piece of furniture that's big enough for more than one person to sit on. If you don't have enough comfortable places to sit in your apartment, you might consider buying a settee. The definition of a settee is essentially the same as a sofa: an upholstered bench with a back and arms. It's more commonly used in Britain than the U.S., and has an old-fashioned sound to it, but you can use this word to describe your loveseat or couch if you like: "Come sit on the settee with me!" Etymologists' best guess about the word's origin is that settee is related to settle, "sit comfortably."
Vocabulary lists containing settee
The Ottoman Empire: Furniture Words
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A Monster Calls
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The last time she had seen him, her "perfect little boy" and Robbie had been asleep on the living room settee.
From BBC ● May 14, 2025
Jimenez likes a backless settee or daybed placed in front of a fireplace, so people can admire the flames facing one way and turn to converse with others in the opposite direction.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
Wright Auctions, a leading venue for the sales of contemporary design goods, has fetched five-figure deals for a Hans Wegner desk, a George Nakashima settee and a chair designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen.
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
The fabulous settee is, unfortunately, a one-off, but it is very inviting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2023
He jumped off and gave the settee a kick to push it back even further.
From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness
She sold flatware, stemware and linens, setting the pieces out on antique furniture — marble topped butcher tables, rattan settees, Art Deco bars — which, because customers asked, she began to sell too.
From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
There are comfy settees to sit on, there is loads of natural light and a free coffee machine.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2023
“The bold colors, opulent gilded mirrors, crystal chandeliers, allegorical artwork, taxidermy and silk upholstered settees that decorate the mansion set a feeling of environmental submersion or time travel,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2021
During a class at Last Rites Gallery in Hell’s Kitchen, 26 students sat on red velvet settees, watching Echols prepare to demonstrate “The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram”.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 27, 2018
We move into a formal living room with ornate molding and green velvet settees, so full of heavy furniture I can hardly see the floor.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
