decide implies previous consideration of a matter causing doubt, wavering, debate, or controversy.
she decided to sell her house
determine implies fixing the identity, character, scope, or direction of something.
determined the cause of the problem
settle implies a decision reached by someone with power to end all dispute or uncertainty.
the dean's decision settled the campus alcohol policy
rule implies a determination by judicial or administrative authority.
the judge ruled that the evidence was inadmissible
resolve implies an expressed or clear decision or determination to do or refrain from doing something.
he resolved to quit smoking
Examples of settle in a Sentence
Verb
They were determined to settle the dispute before going home for the day.
The two sides have settled their differences.
We need to settle this question once and for all. That settles it. I can't take the day off from work, so I'm not going.
His grandparents were immigrants from Germany who settled in Pennsylvania.
He always thought he'd leave the city and settle in the country.
the people who settled the West See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Covid-19 is settling in as a wintertime fixture, and infections are expected to rise again as the weather cools and holiday gatherings pile up.—Brianna Abbott and Jon Kamp, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2023 Cassie’s lawsuit was settled one day later for an undisclosed amount of money.—Diana Dasrath, NBC News, 24 Nov. 2023 The lawsuit was settled one day after it was filed for an undisclosed sum.—CBS News, 24 Nov. 2023 Advertisement Last week, L.A. Unified settled the lawsuit and acknowledged that students have a 1st Amendment right to nondisruptive speech that’s critical of dairy products.—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023 At the same time, Arab nations began expelling hundreds of thousands of their Jewish populations, many of whom would settle in Israel.—Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2023 Combs denies the allegations; the suit was settled almost immediately for an undisclosed sum.—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023 After two years of transformation and a particularly trying summer, Teni seems settled in her power and freedom.—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023 The Oslo peace process could have settled the Israeli-Palestinian conflict decades ago.—Kevin Roose, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023
Noun
The fall was its fourth in five sessions and its lowest settle since late August; WTI is off 10% since setting a 13-month high of $93.68 a barrel last Wednesday.—Bob Henderson, WSJ, 4 Oct. 2023 To the table’s left, almost like a shadow, is a smaller, curved black settle from the 1840s.—Carolyn Asome, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023 The 30-year yield marked its highest settle since 2011.—WSJ, 17 Aug. 2023 San Diego hit an all-time high of $6.43 per gallon on Oct. 5, 2022, followed by consistent declines that saw the average price settle in the $4.40 range last Christmas.—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023 Plus, when river flows are weak, more sediment settles on the riverbed.—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 6 June 2023 Any bonus bets earned from the evergreen promotion will be distributed 24 hours after the qualifying settles and will remain valid for up to seven days following distribution.—Ian Firstenberg, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2023 Restrictions and Terms Apply Visit site Once the first wager settles, users will either keep their winnings or get their full stake returned in bonus bets.—Ian Firstenberg, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2023 But then the routine settles, sleep lengthens.—Alexandra Moe, The New Republic, 2 Mar. 2023 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'settle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, to seat, bring to rest, come to rest, from Old English setlan, from setl seat
Noun
Middle English, place for sitting, seat, chair, from Old English setl; akin to Old High German sezzal seat, Latin sella seat, chair, Old English sittan to sit
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