settle

[set-l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR settle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), set·tled, set·tling.

to appoint, fix, or resolve definitely and conclusively; agree upon (as time, price, or conditions).

to place in a desired state or in order: to settle one's affairs.

to pay, as a bill.

to close (an account) by payment.

to migrate to and organize (an area, territory, etc.); colonize: The pilgrims settled Plymouth.

to cause to take up residence: They settled immigrants in urban areas.

to furnish (a place) with inhabitants or settlers: The French settled this colony with army veterans.

to quiet, calm, or bring to rest (the nerves, stomach, etc.).

to stop from annoying or opposing: A sharp word will settle that youngster.

to conclude or resolve: to settle a dispute.

to make stable; place in a permanent position or on a permanent basis.

to cause (a liquid) to become clear by depositing dregs.

to cause (dregs, sediment, etc.) to sink or be deposited.

to cause to sink down gradually; make firm or compact.

to dispose of finally; close up: to settle an estate.

Law.

to secure (property, title, etc.) on or to a person by formal or legal process.
to terminate (legal proceedings) by mutual consent of the parties.

verb (used without object), set·tled, set·tling.

to decide, arrange, or agree (often followed by on or upon): to settle on a plan of action.

to arrange matters in dispute; come to an agreement: to settle with a person.

to pay a bill; make a financial arrangement (often followed by up).

to take up residence in a new country or place: Many Frenchmen settled along the Mississippi River following La Salle's explorations.

to come to rest, as from flight: A bird settled on a bough.

to gather, collect, or become fixed in a particular place, direction, etc.: A cold settled in my head.

to become calm or composed (often followed by down): I'll wait until the class settles before starting the lesson.

to come to rest (often followed by down): We settled down for the night at an old country inn.

to sink down gradually; subside.

to become clear by the sinking of suspended particles, as a liquid.

to sink to the bottom, as sediment.

to become firm or compact, as the ground.

(of a female animal) to become pregnant; conceive.

Verb Phrases

settle down,

to become established in some routine, especially upon marrying, after a period of independence or indecision.
to become calm or quiet.
to apply oneself to serious work: There were so many distractions that we weren't able to settle down to studying.

settle for, to be satisfied with: to settle for less.

settle into, to become established in: to settle into a new routine.

Origin of settle

before 1000; Middle English set(t)len, Old English setlan (attested once) to place, derivative of setl settle²; compare Dutch zetelen

Related formsset·tle·a·ble, adjectiveset·tle·a·bil·i·ty, nounset·tled·ness, nounqua·si-set·tled, adjectiveun·set·tle·a·ble, adjectivewell-set·tled, adjective

Synonyms for settle

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR settle ON THESAURUS.COM

1. set, establish. 4. liquidate. 6. relocate. 7. people, colonize. 9. tranquilize, compose, still, pacify. 11. stabilize, establish, confirm. 20. locate, relocate. 25. decline, fall, abate.

settle

[set-l]

noun

a long seat or bench, usually wooden, with arms and a high back.

Origin of settle

before 900; Middle English: seat, sitting place, Old English setl; cognate with German Sessel armchair, Gothic sitls seat, Latin sella saddle; akin to sit¹

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

Related Words for settle

end, complete, conclude, pay, fix, negotiate, determine, decide, establish, clear, achieve, put, land, sit, live, square, concert, figure, clinch, seal

Examples from the Web for settle

Contemporary Examples of settle

I settle for a sweater and jacket and throw a tie in my briefcase just in case it turns out to be the prom.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
I started to squirm in my chair and Jimbo put his hand back on my shoulder to settle me down.
I Shot Bin Laden
Elliot Ackerman
November 16, 2014
The pressure is on the Supreme Court to settle this once and for all.
Gay Marriage Chaos Begins
Jay Michaelson
November 11, 2014
They form a daily currency by which we settle relationships, but they also create doubt.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine
Tom Arnold-Forster
November 3, 2014
That figure represents the serious cut that the players took to settle the 2011 lockout, when it was slashed from 57 percent.
2014 NBA Preview: Skinny LeBron and the Racist Ghost of Donald Sterling
Robert Silverman
October 27, 2014

Historical Examples of settle

"Settle the best you can," was his final direction to Coplen.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
He has always been a rover, often tried to settle down but could not.
Ballads of a Bohemian
Robert W. Service
Hines turned to me and said, Go to your quarters; I will settle with you in the morning.
Biography of a Slave
Charles Thompson
Promise me not to marry this man, and I will settle on you a thousand a year—safe.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Why didn't you let them bring in their police and settle us?
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden

British Dictionary definitions for settle

settle

verb

(tr) to put in order; arrange in a desired state or conditionhe settled his affairs before he died

to arrange or be arranged in a fixed or comfortable positionhe settled himself by the fire

(intr) to come to rest or a halta bird settled on the hedge

to take up or cause to take up residencethe family settled in the country

to establish or become established in a way of life, job, residence, etc

(tr) to migrate to and form a community; colonize

to make or become quiet, calm, or stable

(intr) to be cast or spread; come downfog settled over a wide area

to make (a liquid) clear or (of a liquid) to become clear; clarify

to cause (sediment) to sink to the bottom, as in a liquid, or (of sediment) to sink thus

to subside or cause to subside and become firm or compactthe dust settled

(sometimes foll by up) to pay off or account for (a bill, debt, etc)

(tr) to decide, conclude, or dispose ofto settle an argument

(intr; often foll by on or upon) to agree or fixto settle upon a plan

(tr; usually foll by on or upon) to secure (title, property, etc) to a person, as by making a deed of settlement, will, etche settled his property on his wife

to determine (a legal dispute, etc) by agreement of the parties without resort to court action (esp in the phrase settle out of court)

Derived Formssettleable, adjective

Word Origin for settle

Old English setlan; related to Dutch zetelen; see settle ²

settle

noun

a seat, for two or more people, usually made of wood with a high back and arms, and sometimes having a storage space in the boxlike seat

Word Origin for settle

Old English setl; related to Old Saxon, Old High German sezzal

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 settle

"come to rest," Old English setlan "cause to sit, place, put," from setl "a seat" (see settle (n.)). Related: Settling. Cf. German siedeln "to settle, colonize."

From c.1300 of birds, etc., "to alight." From early 14c. as "sink down, descend; cave in." Early 15c. in reference to suspended particles in a liquid. Sense of "establish a permanent residence" first recorded 1620s; that of "decide" is 1620s. Meaning "secure title to by deed" is from 1660s.

Meaning "reconcile" (a quarrel, differences, etc.) perhaps is influenced by Middle English sahtlen "to reconcile," from Old English saht "reconciliation," from Old Norse satt "reconciliation." To settle down "become content" is from 1853; transitive sense from 1520s; as what married couples do in establishing domesticity, from 1718. To settle for "content oneself with" is from 1943.

"long bench," 1550s, from Middle English setle "a seat," from Old English setl "a seat, stall; position, abode; setting of a heavenly body," related to sittan "to sit," from Proto-Germanic *setla- (cf. Middle Low German, Middle Dutch setel, Dutch zetel, German Sessel, Gothic sitls), from PIE *sedla- (cf. Latin sella "seat, chair," Old Church Slavonic sedlo "saddle," Old English sadol "saddle"), from root *sed- (1) "to sit" (see sedentary).