sat·u·rate
ˈsa-chə-ˌrāt 
saturated; saturating
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 Hollywood—
Newgate Callendar
Newgate Callendar
b
: to load to capacity
4
: to cause to combine until there is no further tendency to combine
Synonyms
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 WebLeslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The display's hues are rich and well saturated, and its fine details are sharp; meanwhile, its viewing angles are wide, and contrast is high.
—PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024
Due to wildfires nearby in Wisconsin, smoke saturated the air and caused the eventual collision, which led Milwaukee Captain Armstrong and Hickox Captain O'Day to the dangerous path.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
New York is saturated with glitzy pastry chefs turning out croissants and sourdough boules—but Librae, with its genre-bending flavors and manifold influences, emerges from the pack as the rare bakery with something new to say.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 13 Mar. 2024
American culture, saturated with hollow nostalgia, consumerism and the militarism of the Reagan administration, seemed a dead end for Europeans looking for an alternative to the political malaise of the late 1980s.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
The color is most saturated on one of her thumbs, while other fingers are mix of sea green, turquoise, and white.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024
Hondo was working in a Paris saturated with the influence of the French New Wave.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Like in some Colorado school districts, the area desperately needs lower-income housing because the coast is saturated with luxury homes, said Dorothy Hester, Dare County Schools public information officer.
—USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
However, even when hair is dry and thick, experts advise washing at least twice a week to remove all the residues that can accumulate on the scalp, and that saturate and weaken the hair.
—Ana Morales, Vogue, 15 Aug. 2023
To use, spray directly on the stain and saturate well.
—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2023
On the other hand, some things saturate at very low levels.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2021
The additional showers will threaten to further saturate hillsides already thoroughly soaked after weeks of wet weather, and flooding is expected in low-lying roads and urban areas that have poor drainage.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2023
Verb
In the past decade, the word and the concept have come to saturate the public sphere.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The display's hues are rich and well saturated, and its fine details are sharp; meanwhile, its viewing angles are wide, and contrast is high.
—PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024
Due to wildfires nearby in Wisconsin, smoke saturated the air and caused the eventual collision, which led Milwaukee Captain Armstrong and Hickox Captain O'Day to the dangerous path.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
New York is saturated with glitzy pastry chefs turning out croissants and sourdough boules—but Librae, with its genre-bending flavors and manifold influences, emerges from the pack as the rare bakery with something new to say.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 13 Mar. 2024
American culture, saturated with hollow nostalgia, consumerism and the militarism of the Reagan administration, seemed a dead end for Europeans looking for an alternative to the political malaise of the late 1980s.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
The color is most saturated on one of her thumbs, while other fingers are mix of sea green, turquoise, and white.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 21 Mar. 2024
Hondo was working in a Paris saturated with the influence of the French New Wave.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Like in some Colorado school districts, the area desperately needs lower-income housing because the coast is saturated with luxury homes, said Dorothy Hester, Dare County Schools public information officer.
—USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
Adjective
To give the vinegar a longer working time, saturate paper towels and press them against the glass like wallpaper.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
However, even when hair is dry and thick, experts advise washing at least twice a week to remove all the residues that can accumulate on the scalp, and that saturate and weaken the hair.
—Ana Morales, Vogue, 15 Aug. 2023
To use, spray directly on the stain and saturate well.
—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2023
On the other hand, some things saturate at very low levels.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2021
The additional showers will threaten to further saturate hillsides already thoroughly soaked after weeks of wet weather, and flooding is expected in low-lying roads and urban areas that have poor drainage.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2023
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.
Dictionary Entries Near saturate
Cite this Entry
“Saturate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saturate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
saturate
1 of 2 transitive verb
sat·u·rate
ˈsach-ə-ˌrāt
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
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