SETTLE | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of settle in English settleverb uk /ˈset.əl/ us /ˈset̬.əl/

settle verb (AGREE)

Add to word list Add to word list B2 [ T ] to reach a decision or an agreement about something, or to end a disagreement: Good, that's all settled - you send out the invitations for the party, and I'll organize the food. [ + question word ] They haven't yet settled when the wedding is going to be. "The tickets are €40 each." "Well, that settles that - I can't afford that much."be settled once and for all I'd like to get this matter settled once and for all (= reach a final decision on it).settle an argument They had to go to court to settle the argument. to decide

• decideI've decided to move to Sweden.
• fixUK The price has been fixed at £10.
• setHave you set a date for the wedding?
• finalizeWe've chosen a venue for the wedding, but we haven't finalized the details yet.
• settleOK then, we're going to Spain. That's settled.
• settle on/uponHave you settled on a place to live yet?

See more results » B2 [ I or T ] to arrange something: The details of the contract have not yet been settled.settle out of court Our lawyer advised us that it would be better to settle out of court (= reach an agreement in a legal case without it being decided in a court of law). It took months to settle (= bring to an end) the dispute/strike.settle your differences My father and I have agreed finally to settle our differences (= stop arguing).

• They're still dithering about who to invite, but we really need to get it settled.
• He still needs to settle the date of the meeting.
• That's settled - I never want to see him again.
• We haven't quite settled who's responsible for what.

Accepting & agreeing

• accept someone’s invitation
• accepting
• accommodation
• accreditation
• agree to something phrasal verb
• arrive
• compact
• conclusion
• daresay
• formal
• formalize
• grumble
• out of alignment
• peace accord
• pounce
• pounce on something phrasal verb
• pre-approval
• strike a chord idiom
• take/pick up the gauntlet idiom
• worry

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Planning, expecting and arranging

settle verb (MAKE COMFORTABLE)

[ I or T, usually + adv/prep ] to relax into a comfortable position: settle in front of After dinner we settled in front of the television for the evening.settle back The dentist told her patient to settle back in the chair.settle yourself down He settled himself down with a newspaper, and waited for the flight to arrive. [ I ] mainly UK to begin to play a game or sport in a relaxed and comfortable way: England's aggressive play never allowed the New Zealanders to settle.settle into After a frantic start, the team settled into a good rhythm.

• I settled back and waited for the film to start.
• We settled in our comfortable carriage and watched the scenery roll by.
• I couldn't seem to settle the children in bed.
• I settled myself with a cup of tea and thought about what had happened.

Comfortable and uncomfortable

• airiness
• airy
• be in your element idiom
• be out of your element idiom
• be/feel at home idiom
• creature comforts
• curl up phrasal verb
• discommode
• discommodity
• ergonomic
• forgiving
• lived in idiom
• make yourself comfortable
• nestle
• oppressively
• oppressiveness
• scratchy
• snug
• uncomfortably
• well appointed

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Competing in sport

settle verb (LIVE)

B2 [ I usually + adv/prep ] to go and live somewhere, especially permanently: settle in After they got married, they settled in Brooklyn. [ I or T, often passive ] to arrive, especially from another country, in a new place and start to live there and use the land: America was first settled by people who came across from Asia over 25,000 years ago.

• We've moved all over the country, but I'd like to settle here now.
• The Romans settled in Britain in the first century AD.
• After decades of desert life, they settled in the mountains.

Changing homes & moving

• (furniture) remover phrase
• anti-immigrant
• anti-immigration
• asylum hotel
• asylum seeker
• closing
• emigrate
• emigration
• foreign-returned
• greener pastures idiom
• moving
• pasture
• pre-migration
• pull up stakes idiom
• rehome
• relocate
• shelter
• up sticks idiom
• upsize
• winter

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Accommodating people

settle verb (MOVE LOWER)

C1 [ I ] to move to a lower level and stay there; to drop: settle on The house had been empty for years, and dust had settled on all the surfaces. Do you think the snow will settle (= remain on the ground and other surfaces without melting)? The contents of this package may settle (= fall towards the bottom of the container and so seem to be less).

• The juice goes thick at the bottom when it settles.
• Snow had settled on the rooftops.
• Once dust settles in the gaps, it will not work as well.

Boarding and alighting from modes of transport

• aboard ship
• bestride
• board
• climb
• debark
• deplane
• disembark
• dismount
• embarkation
• entrain
• get off phrasal verb
• get on phrasal verb
• get out phrasal verb
• hop
• in
• tap
• tap out phrasal verb
• touch
• touch in phrasal verb
• touch out phrasal verb

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settle verb (PAY)

C2 [ I or T ] to pay, especially money that you owe: settle a bill She settled her bill and left the hotel by taxi.settle an account Please settle your account without further delay.settle a claim It took the insurance company months to settle my claim.formal Payment of your account is now overdue, and we must ask you to settle (= pay the money you owe) immediately. Accounting

• accountancy
• accountant
• accounting
• accounts
• auditor
• bad debt
• balance
• budget
• CPA
• creative accounting
• double entry bookkeeping
• expense account
• false accounting
• forensic accountant
• loss
• strip something out phrasal verb
• treasurer
• unaudited
• uncredited
• unreconciled

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Paying money

settle verb (QUIET)

[ I or T ] to become quiet and calm, or to make something or someone do this: The weather is expected to settle towards the end of the week. I'll call you back as soon as I've settled the kids for the night.settle your nerves Before a performance, she takes three deep breaths to settle her nerves. We're very busy this week, but things should settle a bit after the weekend.settle to UK Joe's parents are very worried about him because he doesn't seem to be able to settle to (= to give his whole attention to) anything. Calming and relaxing

• appease
• assuage
• bask
• break the ice idiom
• calm
• calm (someone) down phrasal verb
• compose
• lull
• lull someone into something phrasal verb
• make yourself at home idiom
• mellow
• melt
• meltingly
• placebo
• relaxation
• settle down phrasal verb
• settle someone's stomach
• shirt
• simmer
• simmer down phrasal verb

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settle verb (BE IN A CERTAIN STATE)

[ I + adv/prep ] to reach and remain at a certain level or in a certain state: settle at The pound rose slightly against the dollar today, then settled at $1.53.settle on A peaceful expression settled on her face. After the recent riots, an uneasy calm has settled on the city. Keeping and staying the same

• anti-progressive
• calcification
• calcify
• consistency
• consistent
• continuum
• invariant
• inveteracy
• kept
• leave well alone idiom
• left
• peg
• stabilization
• stabilize
• stably
• stay
• steadfast
• wallow
• wallow in something phrasal verb
• wouldn't have it any other way idiom

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Idioms

settle an account settle your affairs settle an (old) score

Phrasal verbs

settle down settle (someone) down settle for something settle in settle someone in settle on something settle something on someone settle up (Definition of settle from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

settle | American Dictionary

settleverb us /ˈset̬·əl/

settle verb (MAKE COMFORTABLE)

Add to word list Add to word list [ always + adv/prep ] to get or to become comfortable: [ T ] Campbell settled herself in front of a blazing fire. [ I ] He settled back in his chair and took out a book.

settle verb (AGREE)

[ I/T ] to reach a decision or an agreement about something, or to end a disagreement: [ T ] Rogers paid $2 million to settle the lawsuit. [ T ] Americans turn to a dictionary to settle questions of language. [ I ] Negotiators are hopeful the two sides will settle.  settle out of court If you settle out of court, you reach an agreement in a legal case without holding a trial in court: The defendant agreed to settle out of court.

settle verb (PAY)

[ T ] to pay money owed: He sold his photographs to settle some old debts.

settle verb (LIVE)

[ I/T ] to live in a place or to go somewhere to live, esp. permanently: [ I ] After they got married, they settled in Virginia. [ T ] Immigrants settled this island two hundred years ago. [ I ] fig. An early-evening glow settles on the city (= the city has begun to glow).

settle verb (MOVE LOWER)

[ I ] to move to a lower level and stay there; drop: Dust can settle into the wet paint and spoil the finish. Unused farm machinery settled in high weeds behind the house.

Idioms

settle your nerves settle your stomach settle the score

Phrasal verbs

settle down settle down to something settle for something settle in settle into somewhere/something settle on something settle up (Definition of settle from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

settle | Business English

settleverb uk /ˈsetl/ us Add to word list Add to word list [ T ] to pay money that you owe: settle a bill/debt Only half of their clients settled their accounts on time. [ I or T ] to end an argument by reaching an agreement to do something: settle a dispute/argument/lawsuit The company paid $5 million to former employees to settle claims of unfair dismissal. Union and management were urged to settle their differences. The company decided it was cheaper to settle rather than fight the case in court. to make a final decision about something: We need a final meeting to settle the matter once and for all. OK, so that's settled then. [ I ]   FINANCE if prices, values, etc. settle, they stop moving up or down: They expect house price inflation to settle around 10%.settle at sth After a rocky ride, shares in the entertainment company settled at $13.  settle out of court LAW to end an argument without having to go to a court of law, usually by agreeing to the payment of a particular amount of money: In view of the legal costs, they decided to settle out of court.

Phrasal verbs

settle for sth settle on/upon sth settle sth on sb settle up (Definition of settle from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of settle

settle By the end of the eight-year period studied, 2,000 people were settled in twelve colonies. From the Cambridge English Corpus The incongruity between extra-terrestrial beings and the settled, comfortable world they invade produces a creative tension. From the Cambridge English Corpus As cocoa specialization provided greater remuneration to the farmer's labour, it soon became the crop of choice for all smallholders who settled in forested lands. From the Cambridge English Corpus After having settled on a general approach, let us discuss the form of judgments. From the Cambridge English Corpus There is an even stronger case for a second edition, when the dust has settled a little on the current reform process. From the Cambridge English Corpus The way perceptions are represented in our brains is far from settled, but the rules of kinematic geometry could not be applied to some possibilities. From the Cambridge English Corpus After settling the final form in a clay model, it was enlarged to a fullscale set of plaster fragments in his workshop. From the Cambridge English Corpus Conversion would follow, and then a settled domestic life. From the Cambridge English Corpus Most of these were young women travelling abroad to experience something new before attending university or settling down in their own country. From the Cambridge English Corpus While there were important differences of perspective, both parties subscribed broadly to the liberal social democratic policy framework settled in the 1950s. From the Cambridge English Corpus Disagreements in coding arose in relation to 1.5% of the codable utterances, and 0.7 % of those were settled by discussion. From the Cambridge English Corpus When aphids had moulted, passed through the teneral stage, settled and begun reproducing, they were transferred to experimental plants. From the Cambridge English Corpus After this initial coding had yielded 55 per cent agreement, we examined all discrepancies and then jointly settled on a final coding. From the Cambridge English Corpus After that is done, the second ballot presents itself, and the voter settles down to his or her more serious convictions. From the Cambridge English Corpus Instead, 'these conflicts should be settled by an independent party'. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of settle These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of settle?

Translations of settle

in Chinese (Traditional) 同意, 確定, 決定… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 同意, 确定, 决定… See more in Spanish resolver, decidir, acomodarse… See more in Portuguese apaziguar, chegar a um acordo, acomodar-se… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian च्या बद्दल काही निर्णयाप्रत येणे, सहमती होणे वा असहमती नाहीशी होणे, व्यवस्था लावणे… See more （口論などを）収拾する, 和解する, （生活が）落ち着く… See more halletmek, çözmek, çözüm yolu bulmak… See more régler, (s’)installer, s’installer… See more resoldre, instal·lar-se, establir-se… See more zich installeren, neerstrijken, kalmeren… See more எதையாவது பற்றி ஒரு முடிவை அல்லது உடன்பாட்டை எட்டுவது அல்லது கருத்து வேறுபாட்டை முடிவுக்குக் கொண்டுவருவது, ஏதாவது ஏற்பாடு செய்ய, எங்காவது சென்று வாழ… See more तय हो जाना, सुलझ जाना, व्यवस्थित करना… See more સ્થાયી થવું, નિર્ણય અથવા કરાર સુધી પહોંચવા માટે, ગોઠવવું… See more sætte sig til rette, lægge sig, berolige… See more sätta (lägga) till rätta, slå sig till ro, lägga sig… See more meletakkan diri dalam keadaan yang selesa, berkumpul, menenangkan… See more sich niederlassen, sich legen, beruhigen… See more bilegge, avgjøre, få en slutt på… See more طے کرنا, تصفیہ کرنا, مقرر یا طے کرنا… See more влаштовуватися, усістися, осідати… See more ఏదైనా విషయంలో నిర్ణయం తీసుకొను లేదా ఒప్పందానికి వచ్చు లేదా అసమ్మతిని తెలియజేయు, దేనినైనా ఏర్పాటు చేయు, ఎక్కడికో వెళ్లి జీవించు… See more নিষ্পত্তি করা, ব্যবস্থা করা, মীমাংসা করা… See more uvelebit se, usadit se, uklidnit… See more menempatkan, meliputi, menenangkan… See more หยุดพัก, ผ่อนคลาย, สงบ… See more đến nghỉ trên cái gì, đọng, đậu… See more rozstrzygać, osiąść, osiedlić się… See more 합의를 보다, 논쟁을 해결하다, 정착하다… See more risolvere (discussione), stabilirsi, sistemarsi… See more Need a translator?

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setter setting setting-up settings phrase settle settle (a case) out of court phrase settle a score idiom settle an (old) score idiom settle an account idiom {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of settle

• settle an account
• settle someone's stomach
• settle down to something phrasal verb
• settle down phrasal verb
• settle for something phrasal verb
• settle into somewhere/something phrasal verb
• settle in phrasal verb

See all meanings

• settle down to something phrasal verb
• settle down phrasal verb
• settle for something phrasal verb
• settle into somewhere/something phrasal verb
• settle in phrasal verb
• settle on something phrasal verb
• settle up phrasal verb

See all phrasal verb meanings

• settle your nerves idiom
• settle your stomach idiom
• settle the score idiom
• settle a score idiom
• settle an (old) score idiom
• settle an account idiom
• settle (a case) out of court phrase

See all idioms and phrases

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• English   
  • Verb 
    • settle (AGREE)
    • settle (MAKE COMFORTABLE)
    • settle (LIVE)
    • settle (MOVE LOWER)
    • settle (PAY)
    • settle (QUIET)
    • settle (BE IN A CERTAIN STATE)
• American   
  • Verb 
    • settle (MAKE COMFORTABLE)
    • settle (AGREE)
    • settle out of court
    • settle (PAY)
    • settle (LIVE)
    • settle (MOVE LOWER)
• Business   
  • Verb 
    • settle
    • settle out of court
• Examples

• Translations
• Grammar
• All translations

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