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to saturate

to saturate

55 5.2
Make something so full of liquid or color that it can take no more
  • verb
  • /ˈsætʃəˌreɪt/
translation icon : saturar
  • Once the rainwater is collected in the hole, it slowly saturates the ground over the next couple of days.
  • saturated with water
  • saturate the market
  • saturate the ground

So you're going to want to fully saturate it and then pull it up.

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Examples

  • He added more paint to the canvas until it was saturated with vibrant colors.

  • A white stylus touches each fingernail, and red pigment instantly saturates the entire surface.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We're just giving enough to saturate the top layer.

  • So you're going to want to fully saturate it and then pull it up.

  • The priority now is to clearly identify high burden areas as a priority and to saturate them with prevention efforts.

  • The scent of recently mown grass saturated the still air: the intoxicating essence of summer.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The workers shoveled the oil-saturated drill mud into the filter's inlet bay.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The heavy rainfall saturated the fields, making it impossible for the crops to absorb any more water.

  • She used a sponge to saturate the surface of the floor with cleaning solution.

Synonyms

to fill
vsto saturate
1.0

To make a place full by putting people or things into it

focuses on internal infusion of a substance until no more can be taken
to soak
vsto saturate
141 1.0

Make something very wet by putting it into water or other liquid

focuses on complete internal infusion rather than only becoming very wet
to flood
vsto saturate
127 2.1

To fill a place with more things than it can handle

centres on internal saturation of a material rather than external oversupply
to fill up
vsto saturate
46 1.1

Become so crowded that nothing more can enter

is about thorough internal infusion into material, not general filling
to inundate
vsto saturate
40 6.8

To cover a place with water or give someone too much to deal with

is narrower, focusing on deep infusion into a material rather than broad covering
to douse
vsto saturate
18 4.4

To pour liquid over a person or thing to make them wet

describes internal soaking that happens regardless of pouring or surface wetting
to drench
vsto saturate
14 4.4

Fill something completely with a liquid or a strong feeling

refers to reaching full absorption without emotional or forceful emphasis
to immerse
vsto saturate
9 4.2

Put something completely into a liquid to cover it

emphasizes that the material is filled or infused internally rather than simply covered
to fill to the brim
vsto saturate
5 2.7

To make something so full that nothing else can fit

concerns internal absorption into a material rather than simple container capacity
to impregnate
vsto saturate
3 7.4

To fill something completely with a liquid or chemical

is the general act of soaking until nothing more can be absorbed
to overfill
vsto saturate
3 3.9

To put too much into something so it spills out

relates to reaching internal absorption limits rather than overcapacity spilling
to sop
vsto saturate
  • Archaic
1 8.3

To make something take in liquid until it is very wet

implies reaching full absorption rather than only the slow soaking process
to souse
vsto saturate
1 8.8

To soak something completely in liquid

is more about internal filling to capacity rather than the pouring action
to oversaturate
vsto saturate
6.7

Add so much of a substance that it cannot take any more

means full internal soaking up to, not beyond, absorption capacity
to waterlog
vsto saturate
3.7

To fill something with water so it cannot take any more

applies to any liquid or substance, not only water
to glut
vsto saturate
7.0

To fill a market with too much of a product so it becomes unwanted

focuses on reaching a material's full absorption rather than causing surplus

Antonyms

570 1.0

To become free of water or wetness

1 4.8

Remove almost all water from food to keep it for longer

Phrasal Verbs

To sell so many of a product that people stop buying more unless prices fall

How Wet

to saturate
55 5.2
to drench
34 3.0
to soak
141 1.0
wet
800 1.0
to moisten
7 3.0

Surface Forms

saturate infinitive
saturated past
saturated past participle
saturating present participle
saturates third person singular

Morphology

saturate = satur (opaque) = satur + ate

The root 'satur' is not a standalone English word, making the connection less clear for learners.

Etymology

Saturate comes from the Latin root satur meaning 'full' and from saturare meaning 'to fill'. Think of a sponge soaked until it cannot hold any more water — to saturate something is to make it completely full or soaked.