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

Washington gets until 2027 to settle its bet.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

So passengers buying business-class tickets will have to settle for regular Alaska lounges until then.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Although the findings do not settle every question about how Spinosaurus hunted, they strengthen the case that this enormous predator spent much more of its life underwater than on land.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

On Wednesday, the secretary of state told the House of Commons there had to be "political accountability for finances", and that he wanted to be able to settle the issue with the executive.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Which is more than I’m going to do if we don’t settle down in a school for more than two months, Chase thought.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Former Top Gear star Richard Hammond says he has swapped vintage cars for food festivals and running as he settles into life in a Welsh market town.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

The process is somewhat similar to the way fine household dust spreads and settles across many different surfaces rather than remaining in one location.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Once the dust settles from these market selloffs, gold and silver prices often rebound quickly due to bargain buying, Samuelson said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026

Front-month gold for October delivery settles down 0.3% at $4,152.90 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The color of her gown settles into a deep, solid green.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Last weekend against Rutgers, the Wildcats settled for 283 yards of rushing in a 42-14 blowout victory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Young said the parties settled the matter shortly thereafter.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Google settled both cases without admitting wrongdoing, but paid what was then a record $22.5-million civil penalty the second case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Snap and TikTok settled with KGM ahead of that trial.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

If I got hired on somewhere, I supposed I’d have to tell her, but no need to get her all riled up before anything was settled.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Neither the United States nor Iran has engaged in major attacks on land-based targets since early September, settling instead into a pattern of strikes on commercial ships.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

The couple left the UK and stepped back from their royal duties in early 2020, before settling in California in March that year.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

The pair toured the house multiple times in 2014 before settling on an $88-million monolithic mansion in Bel-Air three years later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Precious metals extended losses with silver reaching a new low for the year and gold settling below the $4,000 level.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

“You know,” Mom said, pulling the page out of the folder and settling into a chair, “I was treasurer of my tenth-grade class. I beat out five other students.”

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

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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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