settle

¹ American  

[set-l] / ˈsɛt l /

verb (used with object)

• settles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• settled,
  past participle,  past
• settling
  present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   determine, decide, set

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.

   Synonyms:

   liquidate

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.

   Synonyms:

   relocate

7. to furnish (a place) with inhabitants or settlers.

   The French settled this colony with army veterans.

   Synonyms:

   colonize, people

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.

   Synonyms:

   pacify, still, compose, tranquilize

10. to conclude or resolve.

    to settle a dispute.

11. to make (someone) comfortable or snug.

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

    Synonyms:

    establish, stabilize

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

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

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

16. to dispose of finally; close up.

    to settle an estate.

17. 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)

• settles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• settled,
  past participle,  past
• settling
  present participle

1. to decide, arrange, or agree (often followed by on orupon ).

   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 byup ).

4. to take up residence in a new country or place.

   Many Frenchmen settled along the Mississippi River following La Salle's explorations.

   Synonyms:

   locate, relocate

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 bydown ).

   I'll wait until the class settles before starting the lesson.

8. to come to rest (often followed bydown ).

   We settled down for the night at an old country inn.

9. to sink down gradually; subside.

   Synonyms:

   abate, fall, decline

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.

verb phrase

1. settle into to become established in.

   to settle into a new routine.

2. settle for to be satisfied with.

   to settle for less.

3. 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.

settle ² American  

[set-l] / ˈsɛt l /

noun

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

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settle ¹ British  

/ ˈsɛtəl /

verb

1. (tr) to put in order; arrange in a desired state or condition

   he settled his affairs before he died

2. to arrange or be arranged in a fixed or comfortable position

   he settled himself by the fire

3. (intr) to come to rest or a halt

   a bird settled on the hedge

4. to take up or cause to take up residence

   the 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 down

   fog 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 compact

    the dust settled

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

13. (tr) to decide, conclude, or dispose of

    to settle an argument

14. (intr; often foll by on or upon) to agree or fix

    to 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, etc

    he 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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settle ² British  

/ ˈsɛtəl /

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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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• settleability
  noun
• settledness
  noun
• quasi-settled
  adjective
• settleable
  adjective
• unsettleable
  adjective
• well-settled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• settling
  present
• settled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• settle
  simple
• settles
  simple
• have settled
  perfect
• has settled
  perfect
• am settling
  progressive
• are settling
  progressive
• is settling
  progressive
• have been settling
  perfect progressive
• has been settling
  perfect progressive

Past

• settled
  simple
• had settled
  perfect
• was settling
  progressive
• were settling
  progressive
• had been settling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will settle
  simple
• will have settled
  perfect
• will be settling
  progressive
• will have been settling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of settle¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English setlen, setel(le) “to seat, place in a seat, be seated; sink down; descend,” Old English setlan (attested once) “to settle, seat, take a position of rest,” derivative of setl settle ²; compare Dutch zetelen

Origin of settle²

First recorded before 900; Middle English setle, setel(e), settel “seat, chair, bench, place for sitting,” Old English setl, sedl, sethl; cognate with German Sessel “armchair,” Gothic sitls “seat,” Latin sella (from unrecorded sedla “saddle”; akin to sit ¹

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Explanation

To settle means to come to order or rest, much as snow settles on the ground or dust settles on the dining room table. Settle has a number of meanings. After moving several times, you'll wish your parents would settle in one place for the rest of your school years. Have you ever heard your house creaking or groaning? That's the house settling. When adults tell children to calm down, they'll often say, "Settle down kids!" And as a legal term, you settle a lawsuit when the accuser and the accused come to an agreement without going to court.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

settle settles settled settling

But, reluctantly, they made the trip, with Dearns' mother Tanya, a former New Zealand netballer, giving up her own coaching job to help the family settle in Japan.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026

He also won’t settle for a private-sector job like his older brother.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

Getting the first of what he hopes will be many NBA points helped settle his nerves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

Over higher ground, snow may settle into Wednesday night.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

Her eyes settle on me, and my stomach churns.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Spontaneous symmetry breaking occurs when a system that could exist in several equivalent arrangements settles into one particular configuration.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026

Organizations and individuals supporting the tax spent around $150 million, while opponents are poised to have shelled out more than $500 million once the dust settles, according to McCuan’s estimates.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

It’s hard to explain: Sometimes there’s one word wrong but you don’t realize it until the dust settles 30 years later and you go, “I could have done this and it would’ve been perfect.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

WTI settles down 0.8% at $102.00 a barrel, and Brent slips 0.4% to $114.88 a barrel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Boomer settles beside me, and I stroke his soft fur as I listen to the stream rippling slowly past.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Once matters had settled down, New Zealand made an unusual decision to go for a scrum in the Wales 22 after being given a penalty.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026

Bahrain has been repeatedly pummeled by Iran during the war, now in its ninth month, but has had a respite since President Trump settled into a strategy of squeezing Iran economically.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

Once the major portions of the estate were settled, my older sister, older brother and I each received an equal six-figure inheritance.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2026

Billions of years ago, water flowed through a river channel into Jezero crater, carrying sediment that gradually settled on the bottom.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026

To pass the time, Maggie sat in a chair facing the sunny window and settled in to read a book of French language exercises.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who moved to the U.K. in August with their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have been settling into their new lives across the pond.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

The 10-year Treasury yield fell 0.115 points in the two sessions following the election, settling Thursday at 4.836%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

“We have a feeling he’s already settling into the great newsroom in the sky, no doubt with a few suggestions on how things should be run,” Courtney wrote in the Facebook post.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

This variant clusters these east Asian H. erectus into a distinct group, confirming their identity and settling a long-running debate about whether the unusual Hexian fossils were H. erectus at all.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

“Anyway, my real name is Luc L’Enfant. I told you we would meet again. You are settling in?”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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Related Words

• achieve
• clear
• complete
• conclude
• decide
• determine
• end
• establish
• fix
• negotiate
• pay
• put an end to
• work out

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