Meanings
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1
verb
To end an argument or problem by reaching a final decision.
They met to settle the dispute once and for all.
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2
verb
To go to live in a place permanently.
After years of travelling, they settled in a small village.
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3
verb
To accept something even though it is not quite what you wanted.
We couldn't afford the house we loved, so we settled for a smaller one.
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4
verb
To come to rest gently on a surface.
Dust settled on the roofs after the storm passed.
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5
verb
To pay money that is owed, such as a bill or debt.
He settled the bill before leaving the restaurant.
Thesaurus
Common collocations
Etymology
From a merger of two verbs: * Middle English setlen, from Old English setlan (“to settle, seat, put to rest”), from Old English setl (“seat”) (compare Dutch zetelen (“to be established, settle”)) and * Middle English sahtlen, seihtlen (“to reconcile, calm, subside”), from Old English sahtlian, ġesehtlian (“to reconcile”), from Old English saht, seht (“settlement, agreement, reconciliation, peace”) (see saught, -le). German siedeln (“to settle”) is related to the former of the two verbs, but is not an immediate cognate of either of them.