saturate

[sach-uh-reyt, sach-er-it, -uh-reyt]

verb (used with object)

saturated, saturating 

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)

saturated, saturating 

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. a less common word for saturated

Other Word Forms

• desaturate verb (used with object)
• oversaturate verb (used with object)
• saturater noun

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

The AI hardware market has likely not yet reached “a mature, saturated” stage, Rasgon said, and the size of the market, rather than the share, is what matters.

Read more on MarketWatch

The team suggests that a small solar cell could supply electricity and also act as a sensor to detect when the material is saturated.

Read more on Science Daily

When that process was completed, the ship was slowly air-dried to remove any remaining moisture that had saturated the wood after having been immersed in seawater for so long.

Read more on Literature

Saturday, when about a half-inch of rain fell over roughly 15 minutes on ground that already was saturated, flooding low-lying areas and prompting at least 12 calls for service, Turner said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Given how saturated soils already are, that also means “increased falling trees,” she said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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