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Synonyms

satisfy

American

[sat-is-fahy] / ˈsæt ɪsˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of (a person, the mind, etc.); give full contentment to.

The hearty meal satisfied him.

Synonyms:

please, pacify, appease, gratify
to put an end to (a desire, want, need, etc.) by sufficient or ample provision.

The hearty meal satisfied his hunger.
to give assurance to; convince.

to satisfy oneself by investigation.

Synonyms:

persuade
to answer sufficiently, as an objection.
to solve or dispel, as a doubt.
to discharge fully (a debt, obligation, etc.).
to make reparation to or for.

to satisfy an offended person; to satisfy a wrong.
to pay (a creditor).
Mathematics.
1. to fulfill the requirements or conditions of.
  
  to satisfy a theorem.
2. (of a value of an unknown) to change (an equation) into an identity when substituted for the unknown: x = 2 satisfies 3 x = 6.

verb (used without object)

to give satisfaction.

satisfy British

/ ˈsætɪsˌfaɪ /

verb

(also intr) to fulfil the desires or needs of (a person)
to provide amply for (a need or desire)
to relieve of doubt; convince
to dispel (a doubt)
to make reparation to or for
to discharge or pay off (a debt) to (a creditor)
to fulfil the requirements of; comply with

you must satisfy the terms of your lease
maths logic to fulfil the conditions of (a theorem, assumption, etc); to yield a truth by substitution of the given value

x = 3 satisfies x² – 4x + 3 = 0

"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

Synonym Usage

Satisfy, content refer to meeting one's desires or wishes. To satisfy is to meet to the full one's wants, expectations, etc.: to satisfy a desire to travel. To content is to give enough to keep one from being disposed to find fault or complain: to content oneself with a moderate meal.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of satisfy

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English satisfien, from Middle French satisfier, from unattested Vulgar Latin satisficāre (for Latin satisfacere “to do enough”; see satisfaction); see -fy

Explanation

To satisfy is to fulfill or meet a want, need, requirement, or expectation. A brilliant paper on Edgar Allan Poe might satisfy a literature class requirement, and a candy bar might satisfy a craving for chocolate. Since there are so many things we need and want, there are lots of ways to satisfy us. Eating a sandwich will satisfy your hunger. Overhearing a conversation could satisfy your curiosity. Going to school should satisfy your desire for knowledge. In college, you'll have to take certain classes to satisfy requirements of your degree. The word comes from the Latin satisfacere, which basically means “do enough.”

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Vocabulary lists containing satisfy

Power Suffix: -fy

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

satisfy satisfies satisfied satisfying

Ramaswamy stumbled for a moment, responding that legal immigrants were still cool, which failed to satisfy the heckler.

From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2026

The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

There’s just not enough AI computing power to satisfy demand, Fraser said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The crisis erupted when several funds were unable to satisfy investor redemption demands.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

But her commendation, though costing her some trouble, could by no means satisfy Mr. Collins, and he was very soon obliged to take her ladyship’s praise into his own hands.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Gregg, Mandery writes, “created the bedrock principles of modern death penalty jurisprudence: that a non-arbitrary death penalty satisfies the Constitution and that the requirement of non-arbitrariness could be satisfied by Georgia’s approach.”

From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026

The delicate diplomatic effort is being led by Michael Needham, a senior state department official who has been tasked with crafting a deal that satisfies Trump while also respecting Denmark's redlines around protecting its borders.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

It still satisfies you and, even better, it appears to serve you more than you serve it.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026

Redlands school officials said the suspension of privileges will remain in place until a student satisfies certain conditions, such as attending a session of Saturday school or performing four hours of community service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026

But this, standing outside Tyler’s window, satisfies nothing.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

He said it was unlikely that these key figures would relinquish their direct influence over militias loyal to them and remain satisfied with their formal positions alone.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Especially when surveyed about it: What are you supposed to say when asked by a pollster, “Are you satisfied with the Democratic Party?”

From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2026

Strong viewership is crucial to streamers because it signals that customers are satisfied and less likely to cancel their subscriptions, even after price hikes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

“Not quite satisfied with how things shaped up on the pitching side at the end of the year,” Ohtani said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

I wonder if the Great Powhatan will be satisfied with the switch.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

A record-tying eight wins in a row during the postseason, including a very satisfying sweep of those fancy Dodgers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

That said, “in our view this does not make for a particularly satisfying equity market bear case,” as AI will deliver a payoff over a longer time horizon, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Don’t pick or pop your pimples, no matter how strong the urge or how satisfying it might be.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

"As an experimentalist, one of the most satisfying things is when several independent measurements begin to tell the same story," Zhu said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

In my head, she gives a satisfying yelp.

From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023