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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Relevance
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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
as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
settled the lawsuit in favor of the defendant
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4
as in to arrange
to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of
settled their wedding plans without any major disagreements
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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
7
as in to compose
to free from distress or disturbance
a hot meal settled the children down
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8
9
10
as in to determine
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute
this information should settle the question of who is right
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as in to cool
to become still and orderly
settle down and get to work, please
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as in to choose
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration
the car buyer settled on that brand only after a lot of research
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of settle
Anna Esaki-Smith, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Knows how to win one-on-ones, beat man coverage, settle in zones, catch the ball, run, break tackles.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2025
After that loss, OpenAI appears to have pivoted and is now doing everything in its power to limit the number of logs accessed in the case—short of settling—as its customers fretted over serious privacy concerns.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
The Packers failed to build on their terrific finish to the 2023 campaign, settled for the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, and lost a Wild Card game to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for settle
Verb
Harvard has refused to settle, instead fighting these measures in federal court at a huge financial and operational cost.
—Anna Esaki-Smith, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Knows how to win one-on-ones, beat man coverage, settle in zones, catch the ball, run, break tackles.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2025
After that loss, OpenAI appears to have pivoted and is now doing everything in its power to limit the number of logs accessed in the case—short of settling—as its customers fretted over serious privacy concerns.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
The Packers failed to build on their terrific finish to the 2023 campaign, settled for the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, and lost a Wild Card game to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for settle
Cite this Entry
“Settle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/settle. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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