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settle1

[set-l]
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verb (used with object), set·tled, set·tling.
  1. to appoint, fix, or resolve definitely and conclusively; agree upon (as time, price, or conditions).
  2. to place in a desired state or in order: to settle one's affairs.
  3. to pay, as a bill.
  4. to close (an account) by payment.
  5. to migrate to and organize (an area, territory, etc.); colonize: The pilgrims settled Plymouth.
  6. to cause to take up residence: They settled immigrants in urban areas.
  7. to furnish (a place) with inhabitants or settlers: The French settled this colony with army veterans.
  8. to quiet, calm, or bring to rest (the nerves, stomach, etc.).
  9. to stop from annoying or opposing: A sharp word will settle that youngster.
  10. to conclude or resolve: to settle a dispute.
  11. to make stable; place in a permanent position or on a permanent basis.
  12. to cause (a liquid) to become clear by depositing dregs.
  13. to cause (dregs, sediment, etc.) to sink or be deposited.
  14. to cause to sink down gradually; make firm or compact.
  15. to dispose of finally; close up: to settle an estate.
  16. Law.
    1. to secure (property, title, etc.) on or to a person by formal or legal process.
    2. to terminate (legal proceedings) by mutual consent of the parties.
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verb (used without object), set·tled, set·tling.
  1. to decide, arrange, or agree (often followed by on or upon): to settle on a plan of action.
  2. to arrange matters in dispute; come to an agreement: to settle with a person.
  3. to pay a bill; make a financial arrangement (often followed by up).
  4. to take up residence in a new country or place: Many Frenchmen settled along the Mississippi River following La Salle's explorations.
  5. to come to rest, as from flight: A bird settled on a bough.
  6. to gather, collect, or become fixed in a particular place, direction, etc.: A cold settled in my head.
  7. to become calm or composed (often followed by down): I'll wait until the class settles before starting the lesson.
  8. to come to rest (often followed by down): We settled down for the night at an old country inn.
  9. to sink down gradually; subside.
  10. to become clear by the sinking of suspended particles, as a liquid.
  11. to sink to the bottom, as sediment.
  12. to become firm or compact, as the ground.
  13. (of a female animal) to become pregnant; conceive.
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Verb Phrases
  1. settle down,
    1. to become established in some routine, especially upon marrying, after a period of independence or indecision.
    2. to become calm or quiet.
    3. to apply oneself to serious work: There were so many distractions that we weren't able to settle down to studying.
  2. settle for, to be satisfied with: to settle for less.
  3. settle into, to become established in: to settle into a new routine.
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Origin of settle1

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

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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.

settle2

[set-l]
noun
  1. a long seat or bench, usually wooden, with arms and a high back.
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Origin of settle2

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. 2018

Related Words

endcompleteconcludepayfixnegotiatedeterminedecideestablishclearachieveputlandsitlivesquareconcertfigureclinchseal

Examples from the Web for settle

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "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?

British Dictionary definitions for settle

settle1

verb
  1. (tr) to put in order; arrange in a desired state or conditionhe settled his affairs before he died
  2. to arrange or be arranged in a fixed or comfortable positionhe settled himself by the fire
  3. (intr) to come to rest or a halta bird settled on the hedge
  4. to take up or cause to take up residencethe family settled in the country
  5. to establish or become established in a way of life, job, residence, etc
  6. (tr) to migrate to and form a community; colonize
  7. to make or become quiet, calm, or stable
  8. (intr) to be cast or spread; come downfog settled over a wide area
  9. to make (a liquid) clear or (of a liquid) to become clear; clarify
  10. to cause (sediment) to sink to the bottom, as in a liquid, or (of sediment) to sink thus
  11. to subside or cause to subside and become firm or compactthe dust settled
  12. (sometimes foll by up) to pay off or account for (a bill, debt, etc)
  13. (tr) to decide, conclude, or dispose ofto settle an argument
  14. (intr; often foll by on or upon) to agree or fixto settle upon a plan
  15. (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
  16. to determine (a legal dispute, etc) by agreement of the parties without resort to court action (esp in the phrase settle out of court)
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See also settle down, settle for, settle in, settle with
Derived Formssettleable, adjective

Word Origin

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

settle2

noun
  1. 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
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Word Origin

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

v.

"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.

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n.

"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).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper