saturate

[ verb sach-uh-reyt; adjective, noun sach-er-it, -uh-reyt ]
See synonyms for saturate on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. to soak, impregnate, or imbue thoroughly or completely: to saturate a sponge with water; a town saturated with charm.

  2. to destroy (a target) completely with bombs and missiles.

  3. to send so many planes over (a target area) that the defensive electronic tracking equipment becomes ineffective.

  4. 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
noun
  1. a saturated fat or fatty acid.

Origin of saturate

1
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin saturātus (past participle of saturāre “to fill”), equivalent to satur- “full, well-fed” (see sad) + -ātus-ate1

synonym study For saturate

3. See wet.

Other words from saturate

  • de·sat·u·rate, verb (used with object), de·sat·u·rat·ed, de·sat·u·rat·ing.
  • o·ver·sat·u·rate, verb (used with object), o·ver·sat·u·rat·ed, o·ver·sat·u·rat·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for saturate

saturate

verb(ˈsætʃəˌreɪt)
  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

  1. (tr) military to bomb or shell heavily

adjective(ˈsætʃərɪt, -ˌreɪt)
  1. a less common word for saturated

Origin of saturate

1
C16: from Latin saturāre, from satur sated, from satis enough

Derived forms of saturate

  • saturater or saturator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012