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to settle

to settle

142 4.4
To sink and form a layer at the bottom of a liquid
  • verb
  • /ˈsɛtəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sedimentarse
  • Outside, after the bitter wind, we settle onto the cold seats of the car.
  • settle to the bottom
  • settle onto sediment
  • settled solids

It'll help it settle where I want it to settle.

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Examples

  • Just allow gravity to settle you into your seat.

  • Even the things that settle to the bottom are the dead things.

  • But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear.

  • We settle onto the bottom.

  • Maybe just once to just settle the soil around the roots.

  • But what's happens is in the body, the blood will settle to the lowest point.

  • By July 1996, the piles had settled significantly, and the volume was reduced by 50 percent.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The air clears, and the dust settles down.

  • Little by little, the Titanic settled down and sank without noise

    Academic text (2012)
  • After the storm, the debris settled at the bottom of the pond.

Synonyms

to sink
vsto settle
258 1.0

To go down below the surface of water and become underwater

end up as a bottom layer in liquid or air rather than just going under
to settle down
vsto settle
  • Specialized
22 3.1

To come to rest on a surface, like dust or snow

forms a bottom layer in a liquid or air rather than on surfaces
to subside
vsto settle
14 4.8

Move down to a lower place, for example into a seat or the ground

refers to particles forming a bottom layer rather than general lowering
to sediment
vsto settle
  • Specialized
1 7.0

To make small bits sink and collect at the bottom of a liquid

describes particles naturally forming a bottom layer rather than causing it

Antonyms

718 1.0

To move upward into the air, like smoke or mist

645 1.0

To stay or move on water without sinking, sometimes in the air

Idioms

to settle a score
  • Offensive
2 6.2

To get revenge for something someone did to you

To punish or defeat someone to stop their harmful actions

To keep wanting more and trying to improve without accepting being average

Phrasal Verbs

173 3.0

To start living a quiet, steady life by having a regular job or a family

143 3.6

Accept less than you wanted or hoped for

132 3.3

To start to feel comfortable and at home in a new place or job

To become quiet and calm after being excited

55 3.1

To fix your eyes or attention on one thing

Become comfortable in a new place, job, or routine

To reach an agreement with someone to end a dispute

to settle down
  • Specialized
22 3.1

To come to rest on a surface, like dust or snow

To accept something worse than what you want or deserve

Make people or groups agree after an argument

To pick one thing after thinking about the choices

Become an adult and start a steady life with a job or family

How Settled

to accumulate
174 3.4
to settle
  • Specialized
142 4.4
to sink
258 1.0
to drift
331 2.9
to suspend
  • Specialized
10 6.5

Surface Forms

settle infinitive
settled past
settled past participle
settling present participle
settles third person singular

Etymology

The verb settle meaning to sink to the bottom comes from set meaning 'to make sit', like tiny bits that 'sit' at the bottom of a glass. So when particles settle they come to rest at the bottom.