Vocabulary     

What does settle mean?

Definitions for settle
ˈsɛt lset·tle

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word settle.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. settle, setteeverb

    a long wooden bench with a back

  2. settle, settle downverb

    settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground

    "dust settled on the roofs"

  3. decide, settle, resolve, adjudicateverb

    bring to an end; settle conclusively

    "The case was decided"; "The judge decided the case in favor of the plaintiff"; "The father adjudicated when the sons were quarreling over their inheritance"

  4. settle, square off, square up, determineverb

    settle conclusively; come to terms

    "We finally settled the argument"

  5. settle, locateverb

    take up residence and become established

    "The immigrants settled in the Midwest"

  6. reconcile, patch up, make up, conciliate, settleverb

    come to terms

    "After some discussion we finally made up"

  7. sink, settle, go down, go underverb

    go under, "The raft sank and its occupants drowned"

  8. settle, root, take root, steady down, settle downverb

    become settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style

    "He finally settled down"

  9. settleverb

    become resolved, fixed, established, or quiet

    "The roar settled to a thunder"; "The wind settled in the West"; "it is settling to rain"; "A cough settled in her chest"; "Her mood settled into lethargy"

  10. settleverb

    establish or develop as a residence

    "He settled the farm 200 years ago"; "This land was settled by Germans"

  11. settleverb

    come to rest

  12. settleverb

    arrange or fix in the desired order

    "She settled the teacart"

  13. settleverb

    accept despite lack of complete satisfaction

    "We settled for a lower price"

  14. settleverb

    end a legal dispute by arriving at a settlement

    "The two parties finally settled"

  15. settleverb

    dispose of; make a financial settlement

  16. settleverb

    become clear by the sinking of particles

    "the liquid gradually settled"

  17. settleverb

    cause to become clear by forming a sediment (of liquids)

  18. subside, settleverb

    sink down or precipitate

    "the mud subsides when the waters become calm"

  19. ensconce, settleverb

    fix firmly

    "He ensconced himself in the chair"

  20. settle, get backverb

    get one's revenge for a wrong or an injury

    "I finally settled with my old enemy"

  21. finalize, finalise, settle, nail downverb

    make final; put the last touches on; put into final form

    "let's finalize the proposal"

  22. settleverb

    form a community

    "The Swedes settled in Minnesota"

  23. fall, descend, settleverb

    come as if by falling

    "Night fell"; "Silence fell"

Wiktionary

  1. settlenoun

    A seat of any kind.

  2. settlenoun

    A long bench, often with a high back and arms, with storage space underneath for linen.

  3. settlenoun

    A place made lower than the rest; a wide step or platform lower than some other part.

    And from the bottom upon the ground, even to the lower settle, shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit. --Ezek. xliii.

  4. settleverb

    To place in a fixed or permanent condition; to make firm, steady, or stable; to establish; to fix; esp., to establish in life; to fix in business, in a home, or the like.

  5. settleverb

    To establish in the pastoral office; to ordain or install as pastor or rector of a church, society, or parish; as, to settle a minister.

  6. settleverb

    To cause to be no longer in a disturbed condition; to render quiet; to still; to calm; to compose.

  7. settleverb

    To clear of dregs and impurities by causing them to sink; to render pure or clear; -- said of a liquid; as, to settle coffee, or the grounds of coffee.

  8. settleverb

    To restore or bring to a smooth, dry, or passable condition; -- said of the ground, of roads, and the like;as, clear weather settles the roads.

  9. settleverb

    To cause to sink; to lower; to depress; hence, also, to render close or compact; as, to settle the contents of a barrel or bag by shaking it.

  10. settleverb

    To determine, as something which is exposed to doubt or question; to free from uncertainty or wavering; to make sure, firm, or constant; to establish; to compose; to quiet; as, to settle the mind when agitated; to settle questions of law; to settle the succession to a throne; to settle an allowance.

  11. settleverb

    To adjust, as something in discussion; to make up; to compose; to pacify; as, to settle a quarrel.

  12. settleverb

    To adjust, as accounts; to liquidate; to balance; as, to settle an account.

  13. settleverb

    To pay; as, to settle a bill. --Abbott.

  14. settleverb

    To plant with inhabitants; to colonize; to people; as, the French first settled Canada; the Puritans settled New England; Plymouth was settled in 1620.

  15. settleverb

    To become fixed or permanent; to become stationary; to establish one's self or itself; to assume a lasting form, condition, direction, or the like, in place of a temporary or changing state.

  16. settleverb

    To fix one's residence; to establish a dwelling place or home; as, the Saxons who settled in Britain.

  17. settleverb

    To enter into the married state, or the state of a householder.

  18. settleverb

    To be established in an employment or profession; as, to settle in the practice of law.

  19. settleverb

    To become firm, dry, and hard, as the ground after the effects of rain or frost have disappeared; as, the roads settled late in the spring.

  20. settleverb

    To become clear after being turbid or obscure; to clarify by depositing matter held in suspension; as, the weather settled; wine settles by standing.

  21. settleverb

    To sink to the bottom; to fall to the bottom, as dregs of a liquid, or the sediment of a reservoir.

  22. settleverb

    To sink gradually to a lower level; to subside, as the foundation of a house, etc.

  23. settleverb

    To become calm; to cease from agitation.

  24. settleverb

    To adjust differences or accounts; to come to an agreement; as, he has settled with his creditors.

  25. settleverb

    To make a jointure for a wife.

  26. Etymology: From Old English setl, from *setla-, representing sed-lo-, from. Cognate with German Sessel, Dutch zetel; and with Greek ἑλλά, Latin sedo, Russian седло. The verb (Old English setlan) developed from the noun.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. SETTLEnoun

    A seat; a bench; something to sit on.

    Etymology: setol , Sax.

    From the bottom to the lower settle shall be two cubits. Ezek. xliii. 14.

    The man, their hearty welcome first exprest,
    A common settle drew for either guest,
    Inviting each his weary limbs to rest. Dryden.

  2. To Settleverb

    Etymology: from the noun.

    I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings. Ezek. xxxvi. 11.

    In hope to find
    Better abode, and my afflicted powers
    To settle here. John Milton.

    The father thought the time drew on
    Of settling in the world his only son. Dryden.

    Settl’d in his face I see
    Sad resolution. John Milton.

    Justice submitted to what Abra pleas’d:
    Her will alone could settle or revoke,
    And law was fix’d by what she latest spoke. Matthew Prior.

    This exactness will be judged troublesome, and therefore most men will think they may be excused from settling the complex ideas of mixed modes so precisely in their minds. John Locke.

    Medals give a very great light to history, in confirming such passages as are true in old authors, and settling such as are told after different manners. Addison.

    His banish’d gods restor’d to rites divine,
    And settl’d sure succession in his line. John Dryden, Æn.

    If you will not take some care to settle our language, and put it into a state of continuance, your memory shall not be preserved above an hundred years, further than by imperfect tradition. Jonathan Swift.

    This, by a settled habit in things, whereof we have frequent experience, is performed so quick, that we take that for the perception of our sensation which is an idea formed by our judgment. John Locke.

    A pamphlet that talks of slavery, France, and the pretender; they desire no more: it will settle the wavering, and confirm the doubtful. Jonathan Swift.

    Cover ant-hills up, that the rain may settle the turf before the Spring. John Mortimer, Husbandry.

    I have given him the parsonage of the parish, and, because I know his value, have settled upon him a good annuity for life. Joseph Addison, Spectator.

    Exalt your passion by directing and settling it upon an object, the due contemplation of whose loveliness may cure perfectly all hurts received from mortal beauty. Boyle.

    So do the winds and thunders cleanse the air;
    So working seas settle and purge the wine. Davies.

    When thou art settling thyself to thy devotions, imagine thou hearest thy Saviour calling to thee, as he did to Martha, Why art thou so careful? Brian Duppa.

  3. To Settleverb

    This is mere moral babble, and direct
    Against the canon laws of our foundation:
    I must not suffer this; yet ’tis the lees
    And settlings of a melancholy blood. John Milton.

    Your fury then boil’d upward to a foam;
    But since this message came, you sink and settle,
    As if cold water had been pour’d upon you. Dryden.

    A government, upon such occasions, is always thick before it settles. Joseph Addison, Freeholder.

    The Spinetæ, descended from the Pelesgi, settled at the mouth of the river Po. Arbuthnot.

    As people marry now, and settle,
    Fierce love abates his usual mettle;
    Worldly desires, and houshold cares,
    Disturb the godhead’s soft affairs. Matthew Prior.

    The wind came about and settled in the West, so as we could make no way. Francis Bacon.

    That country became a gained ground by the mud brought down by the Nilus, which settled by degrees into a firm land. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

    According to laws established by the divine wisdom, it was wrought by degrees from one form into another, ’till it settled at length into an habitable earth. Burnet.

    Chyle, before it circulates with the blood, is whitish: by the force of circulation it runs through all the intermediate colours, ’till it settles in an intense red. Arbuthnot.

    When time hath worn out their natural vanity, and taught them discretion, their fondness settles on its proper object. Spect.

    Warm’d in the brain the brazen weapon lies,
    And shades eternal settle o’er his eyes. Alexander Pope.

    ’Till the fury of his highness settle,
    Come not before him. William Shakespeare, Winter’s Tale.

    He sighs with most success that settles well. Samuel Garth.

    One part being moist, and the other dry, occasions its settling more in one place than another, which causes cracks and settlings in the wall. John Mortimer, Husbandry.

ChatGPT

  1. settle

    To settle generally means to resolve, conclude, or find a resolution to a problem, dispute, or disagreement. It can also refer to hiring a new place of residence, committing to a particular location, or making oneself comfortable or established in a new environment or situation. It can also mean to calm, soothe, or bring peace to someone's mind or emotions.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Settlenoun

    a seat of any kind

  2. Settlenoun

    a bench; especially, a bench with a high back

  3. Settlenoun

    a place made lower than the rest; a wide step or platform lower than some other part

  4. Settlenoun

    to place in a fixed or permanent condition; to make firm, steady, or stable; to establish; to fix; esp., to establish in life; to fix in business, in a home, or the like

  5. Settlenoun

    to establish in the pastoral office; to ordain or install as pastor or rector of a church, society, or parish; as, to settle a minister

  6. Settlenoun

    to cause to be no longer in a disturbed condition; to render quiet; to still; to calm; to compose

  7. Settlenoun

    to clear of dregs and impurities by causing them to sink; to render pure or clear; -- said of a liquid; as, to settle coffee, or the grounds of coffee

  8. Settlenoun

    to restore or bring to a smooth, dry, or passable condition; -- said of the ground, of roads, and the like; as, clear weather settles the roads

  9. Settlenoun

    to cause to sink; to lower; to depress; hence, also, to render close or compact; as, to settle the contents of a barrel or bag by shaking it

  10. Settlenoun

    to determine, as something which is exposed to doubt or question; to free from unscertainty or wavering; to make sure, firm, or constant; to establish; to compose; to quiet; as, to settle the mind when agitated; to settle questions of law; to settle the succession to a throne; to settle an allowance

  11. Settlenoun

    to adjust, as something in discussion; to make up; to compose; to pacify; as, to settle a quarrel

  12. Settlenoun

    to adjust, as accounts; to liquidate; to balance; as, to settle an account

  13. Settlenoun

    hence, to pay; as, to settle a bill

  14. Settlenoun

    to plant with inhabitants; to colonize; to people; as, the French first settled Canada; the Puritans settled New England; Plymouth was settled in 1620

  15. Settleverb

    to become fixed or permanent; to become stationary; to establish one's self or itself; to assume a lasting form, condition, direction, or the like, in place of a temporary or changing state

  16. Settleverb

    to fix one's residence; to establish a dwelling place or home; as, the Saxons who settled in Britain

  17. Settleverb

    to enter into the married state, or the state of a householder

  18. Settleverb

    to be established in an employment or profession; as, to settle in the practice of law

  19. Settleverb

    to become firm, dry, and hard, as the ground after the effects of rain or frost have disappeared; as, the roads settled late in the spring

  20. Settleverb

    to become clear after being turbid or obscure; to clarify by depositing matter held in suspension; as, the weather settled; wine settles by standing

  21. Settleverb

    to sink to the bottom; to fall to the bottom, as dregs of a liquid, or the sediment of a reserveir

  22. Settleverb

    to sink gradually to a lower level; to subside, as the foundation of a house, etc

  23. Settleverb

    to become calm; to cease from agitation

  24. Settleverb

    to adjust differences or accounts; to come to an agreement; as, he has settled with his creditors

  25. Settleverb

    to make a jointure for a wife

  26. Etymology: [OE. setel, setil, a seat, AS. setl: akin to OHG. sezzal, G. sessel, Goth. sitls, and E. sit. 154. See Sit.]

Wikidata

  1. Settle

    Settle is a small market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is served by the Settle railway station, which is located near the town centre, and Giggleswick railway station which is a mile away. It is 29 miles from Leeds Bradford Airport. The main road running through Settle is the B6480, which links to the A65, connecting Settle to Skipton and Kendal. The town has a population of 2,421 according to the 2001 Census.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Settle

    set′l, v.t. to set or place in a fixed state: to fix: to establish in a situation or business: to render quiet, clear, &c.: to decide: to free from uncertainty: to quiet: to compose: to fix by gift or legal act: to adjust: to liquidate or pay: to colonise.—v.i. to become fixed or stationary: to fix one's residence or habits of life (often with down): to grow calm or clear: to sink by its own weight: to sink to the bottom: to cease from agitation.—adj. Sett′led, fixed, firmly seated or decided: quiet, sober.—ns. Sett′ledness; Sett′lement, act of settling: state of being settled: payment: arrangement: a colony newly settled: a subsidence or sinking of a wall, &c.: a sum newly settled on a woman at her marriage; Sett′ler, one who settles: a colonist; Sett′ling, the act of making a settlement: the act of subsiding: the adjustment of differences: sediment: dregs; Sett′ling-day, a date fixed by the Stock Exchange for the completion of transactions—in consols, once a month; in all other stocks, twice a month, each settlement occupying three days (contango-day, name-day, and pay-day). [A.S. setlan, to fix—setl, a seat.]

  2. Settle

    set′l, v.t. to decide, conclude: to fix, appoint: regulate: to pay, balance: to restore to good order.—v.i. to adjust differences or accounts: to meet one's pecuniary obligations fully. [A.S. sahtlian, to reconcile, saht, reconciliation—sacan, to contend. Confused in both form and meaning with the preceding.]

  3. Settle

    set′l, n. a long high-backed bench for sitting on: (B.) also, a platform lower than another part.—n. Sett′le-bed, a bed which is folded or shut up so as to form a seat by day. [A.S. setl—sittan, to sit; Ger. sessel.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. settle

    Now termed the stern-sheets [derived from the Anglo-Saxon settl, a seat].--To settle. To lower; also to sink, as "the deck has settled;" "we settled the land." (See LAYING.) "Settle the main top-sail halliards," i.e. ease them off a little, so as to lower the yard, as on shaking out a reef.

Suggested Resources

  1. settle

    Song lyrics by settle -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by settle on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. SETTLE

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Settle is ranked #4329 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Settle surname appeared 8,202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 would have the surname Settle.

    82.6% or 6,782 total occurrences were White.
    10.7% or 884 total occurrences were Black.
    3.4% or 283 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.9% or 162 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.6% or 51 total occurrences were Asian.
    0.4% or 40 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'settle' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3905

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'settle' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3462

  3. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'settle' in Verbs Frequency: #285

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of settle in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of settle in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of settle in a Sentence

  1. Gitanas Nauseda:

    It's complicated for a single party to take leadership (on state finances) because it knows it will be criticized by others for unpopular decisions. A president can show leadership and settle the debates.

  2. Benewende Stanislas Sankara:

    The people's message is clear, and we've heard it. Injustice, never again ... Corruption, never again. Soon we'll settle the scores.

  3. John Harris:

    I love my dad and I love my mom. OK? i certainly have no vendetta against them. No family scores to settle, OK? I think that they made mistakes in this process and they certainly did things differently than I would have done them.

  4. Howard Erichson:

    the company has to be drawn to finding a way to settle the bulk of the remaining cases.

  5. Joseph F. Newton:

    A duty dodged is like a debt unpaid; it is only deferred, and we must come back and settle the account at last.

more sentences »

Popularity rank by frequency of use

settle#1#8623#10000

References

Translations for settle

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"settle." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 7 Sep. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/settle>.

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