Definition of settle
settled;
settling
play
\ˈset-liŋ, ˈse-tᵊl-iŋ\
transitive verb
1
: to place so as to stay
2 a
: to establish in residence
b
: to furnish with inhabitants : colonize
3 a
: to cause to pack down
b
: to clarify by causing dregs or impurities to sink
4
: to make quiet or orderly
5 a
: to fix or resolve conclusively
- settle the question
b
: to establish or secure permanently
- settle the order of royal succession
c
: to conclude (a lawsuit) by agreement between parties usually out of court
d
: to close (something, such as an account) by payment often of less than is due
6
: to arrange in a desired position
7
: to make or arrange for final disposition of
- settled his affairs
intransitive verb
1
: to come to rest
2 a
: to sink gradually or to the bottom
b
: to become clear by the deposit of sediment or scum
c
: to become compact by sinking
3 a
: to become fixed, resolved, or established
- a cold settled in his chest
b
: to establish a residence or colony
- settled in Wisconsin
4 a
: to become quiet or orderly
b
: to take up an ordered or stable life
—often used with down
- marry and settle down
5 a
: to adjust differences or accounts
b
: to come to a decision
—used with on or upon
- settled on a new plan
c
: to conclude a lawsuit by agreement out of court
—
settle for
: to be content with
—
settle one's hash
: to silence or subdue someone by decisive action
—
settle the stomach
: to remove or relieve the distress or nausea of indigestion
