settle

[ set-l ]

/ ˈsɛt 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.

Nearby words

Origin of settle

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

SYNONYMS FOR settle

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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR settle ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

un·set·tle·a·ble, adjectivewell-set·tled, adjective

settle

[ set-l ]

/ ˈsɛt 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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
The pressure is on the Supreme Court to settle this once and for all.
Gay Marriage Chaos Begins|Jay Michaelson|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The audit office should have information at hand sufficient to decline the claim or settle it immediately.
The Modern Railroad|Edward Hungerford
I thought you had entirely forgot my £20 amid the other weighty matters you had to settle for me.
The Book-Hunter|John Hill Burton
Railroads helped to settle the west and build up states beyond the Mississippi.
The Beginner's American History|D. H. Montgomery
In the interim, Sir Philip Harclay thought proper to settle his worldly affairs.
The Old English Baron|Clara Reeve
You cannot hurry constructions of this kind; they must have time to settle.
Modern Eloquence: Vol III, After-Dinner Speeches P-Z|Various

British Dictionary definitions for settle

settle

/ (ˈsɛtəl) /

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

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

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.

settle

"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).

settle

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

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

Verb Phrases

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Origin of settle

settle

noun

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settle

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Word Origin for settle

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Word Origin for settle

settle

settle