saturate

1 of 2

verb

sat·​u·​rate ˈsa-chə-ˌrāt How to pronounce saturate (audio)
saturated; saturating

transitive verb

1
: to satisfy fully : satiate
2
: to treat, furnish, or charge with something to the point where no more can be absorbed, dissolved, or retained
water saturated with salt
3
a
: to fill completely with something that permeates or pervades
book is saturated with HollywoodNewgate Callendar
b
: to load to capacity
4
: to cause to combine until there is no further tendency to combine
saturator noun

saturate

2 of 2

adjective

sat·​u·​rate ˈsach-rət How to pronounce saturate (audio)
ˈsa-chə-
Choose the Right Synonym for saturate

soak, saturate, drench, steep, impregnate mean to permeate or be permeated with a liquid.

soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

soak the garment in soapy water

saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

a saturated sponge

drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

steep the tea for five minutes

impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

Examples of saturate in a Sentence

Verb Saturate the sponge with water. Images of the war saturated the news. Their new products are saturating the market. Adjective the test will only work if the sample cloth is saturate with solution
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
And in a market saturated with assembly line lunch places that are always busy, that will be a problem. Emilia David, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024 An endless scroll of tailored content means that young minds are saturated, emerging studies show that those who use TikTok are more easily distracted and less able to focus on tasks. Howard Murphy, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for saturate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'saturate.' 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

Latin saturatus, past participle of saturare, from satur well-fed — more at satire

First Known Use

Verb

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of saturate was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near saturate

Cite this Entry

“Saturate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saturate. Accessed 3 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

saturate

verb
sat·​u·​rate
ˈsach-ə-ˌrāt
saturated; saturating
1
: to soak or fill with something to the point where no more can be absorbed or dissolved
saturate water with salt
2
: to fill completely with something that penetrates : steep

Medical Definition

saturate

1 of 2 transitive verb
sat·​u·​rate ˈsach-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce saturate (audio)
saturated; saturating
1
: to treat, furnish, or charge with something to the point where no more can be absorbed, dissolved, or retained
water saturated with salt
a bandage saturated with blood
2
: to cause to combine until there is no further tendency to combine

saturate

2 of 2 noun
sat·​u·​rate -rət How to pronounce saturate (audio)
: a saturated chemical compound

More from Merriam-Webster on saturate

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