SETTLES Synonyms: 264 Similar and Opposite Words

settles

verb

present tense third-person singular of settle

as in lays

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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as in inhabits

to supply with inhabitants the region was originally settled by farmers

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as in decides

to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) settled the lawsuit in favor of the defendant

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as in arranges

to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of settled their wedding plans without any major disagreements

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as in perches

to come to rest after descending from the air birds settling on the branches of the maple tree

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as in nestles

to establish or place comfortably or snugly settled the sleeping baby into her crib

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as in calms

to free from distress or disturbance a hot meal settled the children down

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as in contains

to gain emotional or mental control of settled himself only with visible effort after the angry outburst

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as in pays

to give what is owed for settle a debt

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repudiates

as in determines

to make final, definite, or beyond dispute this information should settle the question of who is right

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as in shushes

to stop the noise or speech of settled the class with a firm "quiet!"

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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 settles Choose a soothing activity, maybe watercolor, music, cooking, or a quiet walk, and give it your full attention so your spirit settles. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026 Merchants pay interchange on card payments and hold working balances that earn them nothing, and a coin that settles instantly, costs less to accept and, under Open USD’s model, pays them the yield on their balances answers both at once. — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 The tension between the need for new workers and resurgent nativist politics will influence who comes, who settles and who is counted among the ancestors of future generations. — Albert Sun, New York Times, 2 July 2026 What sort of plan the administration settles on remains to be seen. — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 Before My Morning Jacket settles into San Francisco for an October residency, frontman Jim James is turning inward. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 23 June 2026 On average, each dollar donated to Undue Medical Debt settles $100 in medical debt. — Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 22 June 2026 The instinctive Moon settles into your 4th House of Home, while rule-making Saturn in your 11th House of Friends sets structure, creating a quincunx that complicates plans and messages. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026 Still, after the dust settles, the Iranian regime may end up in a better financial situation than before the war started. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for settles

Verb

All that chaos lays the perfect foundation for Lionel Messi to wave his magic wand.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
Mentor is killed, but Telemachus narrowly escapes with his life thanks to Odysseus, who lays waste to the suitors in beggar garb.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026

Definition of lays

Verb

While Toy Story films usually focus on one child, Toy Story 5 will introduce Blaze, a girl who inhabits Jesse’s old farm where Emily — Jesse’s original owner from Toy Story 2 — once lived, voiced by Myka-Michelle Harris.

— Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 20 June 2026
Together with his assistant Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) and true believer Wyck (Stephen Root), Tom discovers the off vibes originate with a pact between town founder Richard Warren (Hamish Linklater) and the demonic force that inhabits the island.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 17 June 2026

Definition of inhabits

Verb

One of the kidnappers, Rodrigo (Humberto Busto), decides that the only way to escape getting caught is to kill Felipe.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Poseidon, upset that Odysseus blinded his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, decides to make his return home difficult and long and wet.

— Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of decides

Verb

Head to Stoos, which perches on a plateau at the base of the Fronalpstock in central Switzerland.

— Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
Live streams from entertainment events like the Grammys or Golden Globes aren’t typically perches for controversy, but, says Anthony McCartney, AP’s entertainment and lifestyles editor, celebrities will sometimes be asked to weigh in on recent headlines.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026

Definition of perches

Verb

The Shelter Island porch stretches the entire width of the house, which nestles in a grove of trees about 250 feet from the shore.

— Fred Albert, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Lech nestles along the eponymous river, tucked in amongst Austria’s westernmost mountains.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of nestles

Verb

Ify’s box contains a fake $100 bill, but Catherine decides to keep her box.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
Their saliva contains a sugar molecule found in mammalian products that, when introduced to us through their bite, can trigger an allergy to red meat and sometimes dairy.

— Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026