saturate

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR saturate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), sat·u·rat·ed, sat·u·rat·ing.

to cause (a substance) to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance, through solution, chemical combination, or the like.

to charge to the utmost, as with magnetism.

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

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

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

to furnish (a market) with goods to its full purchasing capacity.

verb (used without object), sat·u·rat·ed, sat·u·rat·ing.

to become saturated.

adjective

saturated.

noun

a saturated fat or fatty acid.

Origin of saturate

1530–40; < Latin saturātus (past participle of saturāre to fill), equivalent to satur- full, well-fed (see sad) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsde·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.

Synonyms for saturate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR saturate ON THESAURUS.COM

3. See wet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for saturate

permeate, impregnate, suffuse, soak, wash, pervade, douse, infuse, penetrate, imbue, steep, immerse, satiate, bathe, souse, sop, sate, percolate, transfuse, surfeit

Examples from the Web for saturate

Contemporary Examples of saturate

As one Democratic strategist told The Daily Beast, “For a very small investment, you could saturate TV” in South Dakota.
South Dakota's Bizarre Four-Way (Senate Election, That Is)
Ben Jacobs
October 15, 2014
Mix it together and let it sit for about ten minutes so the chia seeds can saturate.
Four Fatty (But Healthy!) Power Meals to Fuel Your Day
Ari Meisel
March 3, 2014
Saturate cinemas with a glut of shoddy franchise flicks, and only a few are going to stick, no matter the star.
Johnny Depp and the ‘Lone Ranger’ Flop: Is His Career Doomed?
Kevin Fallon
July 9, 2013
Saturate the American public until we forget that anything or anyone else exists or is even an option in 2012.
Sarah Palin's Media Strategy
Meghan McCain
November 22, 2010

Historical Examples of saturate

Saturate: deeply or strongly marked; in a color, means intense.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Saturate the residue, when cold, with carbon dioxide and redistil.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique
John William Henry Eyre
Saturate the cake with orange juice to which has been added a little lemon.
The Golden Age Cook Book
Henrietta Latham Dwight
In such a case it is above all things necessary to saturate the organism with Apis.
Apis Mellifica
C. W. Wolf
Saturate the spot two or three times, and then wash out in soapsuds.
The Ladies Book of Useful Information
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for saturate

saturate

verb (ˈsætʃəˌreɪt)

to fill, soak, or imbue totally

to make (a chemical compound, vapour, solution, magnetic material, etc) saturated or (of a compound, vapour, etc) to become saturated

(tr) military to bomb or shell heavily

adjective (ˈsætʃərɪt, -ˌreɪt)

a less common word for saturated

Derived Formssaturater or saturator, noun

Word Origin for saturate

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

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

Word Origin and History for saturate

1530s, "to satisfy, satiate," from Latin saturatus, past participle of saturare "to fill full, sate, drench," from satur "sated, full," from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy" (see sad). Meaning "soak thoroughly" first recorded 1756. Marketing sense first recorded 1958. Related: Saturated; saturating.

saturate in Medicine

saturate

[săch′ə-rāt′]

v.

To imbue or impregnate thoroughly.

To soak, fill, or load to capacity.

To cause a substance to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance.

To satisfy all the chemical affinities of a substance; neutralize.

To dissolve a substance up to that concentration beyond which the addition of more results in a second phase.

Related formssat′u•ra•ble (săch′ər-ə-bəl) adj.sat′u•ra′tor n.