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say it: SET-uhl
settle is a verb and noun meaning "settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground". It carries 23 recorded senses.
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
“dust settled on the roofs”
bring to an end; settle conclusively
“The case was decided”
“The judge decided the case in favor of the plaintiff”
“The father adjudicated when the sons were quarreling over their inheritance”
settle conclusively; come to terms
“We finally settled the argument”
come to terms
“After some discussion we finally made up”
become settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style
“He finally settled down”
become resolved, fixed, established, or quiet
“The roar settled to a thunder”
“The wind settled in the West”
“it is settling to rain”
“A cough settled in her chest”
“Her mood settled into lethargy”
establish or develop as a residence
“He settled the farm 200 years ago”
“This land was settled by Germans”
come to rest
cause to become clear by forming a sediment (of liquids)
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for settle come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.