1
as in to lay
to cause to come to rest at the bottom (as of a liquid) the light rain will settle the dust in the air careful handling will settle the lees in the bottom of the wine bottle

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2
as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants the region was originally settled by farmers

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3
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5
as in to perch
to come to rest after descending from the air birds settling on the branches of the maple tree

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6
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8
as in to contain
to gain emotional or mental control of settled himself only with visible effort after the angry outburst

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9
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11
as in to shush
to stop the noise or speech of settled the class with a firm "quiet!"

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb settle differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of settle are decide, determine, resolve, and rule. While all these words mean "to come or cause to come to a conclusion," settle implies a decision reached by someone with power to end all dispute or uncertainty.

the dean's decision settled the campus alcohol policy

When might decide be a better fit than settle?

While in some cases nearly identical to settle, decide implies previous consideration of a matter causing doubt, wavering, debate, or controversy.

she decided to sell her house

When is it sensible to use determine instead of settle?

The words determine and settle can be used in similar contexts, but determine implies fixing the identity, character, scope, or direction of something.

determined the cause of the problem

When would resolve be a good substitute for settle?

In some situations, the words resolve and settle are roughly equivalent. However, resolve implies an expressed or clear decision or determination to do or refrain from doing something.

he resolved to quit smoking

In what contexts can rule take the place of settle?

Although the words rule and settle have much in common, rule implies a determination by judicial or administrative authority.

the judge ruled that the evidence was inadmissible

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of settle Chlorine gas can quickly settle into lower elevations such as the inner canyon, posing a health risk, officials added. Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 13 July 2025 Saugatuck was first settled in 1830 by William Butler, although it was not originally called Saugatuck, the Holland Sentinel reported. Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 13 July 2025 The company demanded huge amounts to settle — amounts that left small business owners in fear of closing or having to lay off employees. John L. Mica, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025 They are built off-site in Germany, transported to the site, and settled into place with a small crane crew. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for settle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for settle
Verb
  • Wells’s great mind inhabited a small set of rooms in the six-story Tuckerman Building on Washington Square.
    Henry Wiencek July 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
  • Some, like the gray reef shark and blacktip shark, inhabit coral reefs.
    Irit Skulnik, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2025
Verb
  • Every candidate has already been vetted for safety; A.I. can identify low-hanging fruit, and then humans can decide whether the pairing is ripe for picking.
    Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 15 July 2025
  • Believers may decide to refrain from voting or choose a third party because, in their view, neither majority candidate is acceptable.
    Esau McCaulley, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • Horowitz spent decades arranging for Sondheim’s archives to come to the Library of Congress.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 July 2025
  • The controversy comes at a time the United States is trying to arrange a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
    Amira El-Fekki‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • The lodge complex consisted of a main building and 114 standalone cabins perched at some 8,000 feet overlooking the canyon.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 14 July 2025
  • Netflix officially announced the start of the shoot in Italy on July 2, sharing a snap of Collins perched on a vespa.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • The information lodges somewhere in our unconscious.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
  • Last week, with one out left in the state Division 3 game against Waterbury and his team losing 3-2, Seymour coach Jim Hoffman lodged a protest that Waterbury was using ineligible players.
    Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • The two songwriters also composed pitch-perfect theme songs for two sitcoms that debuted within a year of each other – Bewitched (1964) and Gidget (1965).
    Paul Grein, Billboard, 18 July 2025
  • For a widow who lost her husband, her only brother and her only daughter in just five months, McCrory is remarkably composed.
    Pamela Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2025
Verb
  • The memo also contains a link to about 11 hours of footage of Epstein in his cell released as proof of his suicide—which quickly faced more scrutiny after viewers realized about a minute of footage was missing.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
  • But the binders contained information that had largely already been in the public domain.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • Three practices are paid entry for visitors ages 4 and older: July 27, Aug. 2 and Aug. 3.
    Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 20 July 2025
  • Florida’s Board of Medicine fined Romeu $10,000; ordered him to pay $6,722 in case costs; take two continuing medical education classes; and do 50 hours of community medical service.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Settle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/settle. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

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