Thesaurus results for SETTLES

settles

verb

present tense third-person singular of settle

as in lays

to cause to come to rest at the bottom (as of a liquid) the light rain will settle the dust in the air careful handling will settle the lees in the bottom of the wine bottle

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Relevance

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as in inhabits

to supply with inhabitants the region was originally settled by farmers

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as in decides

to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) settled the lawsuit in favor of the defendant

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as in arranges

to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of settled their wedding plans without any major disagreements

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as in perches

to come to rest after descending from the air birds settling on the branches of the maple tree

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as in nestles

to establish or place comfortably or snugly settled the sleeping baby into her crib

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as in calms

to free from distress or disturbance a hot meal settled the children down

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as in contains

to gain emotional or mental control of settled himself only with visible effort after the angry outburst

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as in pays

to give what is owed for settle a debt

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repudiates

as in determines

to make final, definite, or beyond dispute this information should settle the question of who is right

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as in shushes

to stop the noise or speech of settled the class with a firm "quiet!"

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of settles The end result is that, as everyone settles on one side of the parenthood fence or the other, many pick the side with people a lot like themselves. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Removing a single record rarely settles the issue, and aiming for total invisibility is neither realistic nor a reliable defense. — Control Risks, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The formal designation settles a debate over whether or not the site’s role in one of the more significant events in Israel history should be remembered or erased. — Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2026 The deal settles any claims over Suno’s prior use of BMG’s music in training data. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026 When Labor Day passes, the rowdy weekenders become a not-so-distant memory as Montauk settles into a quieter rhythm. — Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2026 When sediment settles at the lake or ocean bottom, materials from different years get a bit mixed. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Aug. 2026 Child development experts say the way parents handle those first drop-offs can shape how quickly a child settles into the new routine. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Named for nebbia, the Italian word for the heavy layer of fog that settles over the vineyards around harvest time in early autumn, Nebbiolo has been cultivated in Piedmont for more than 750 years. — Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for settles

Verb

In years past, only a handful of divers have been permitted by the park to descend to the site where the plane’s aluminum body lays upholstered with colonies of invasive mussels.

— Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Alarm bells are sounding in Chicago as another family lays a child to rest after an electric scooter collision.

— Narmeen Khan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of lays

Verb

While a chatbot waits behind a screen, a robot physically inhabits the room.

— Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
The singer’s fourth album inhabits a balmy medium zone of relentlessly moderate tempos and subdued vocals, where even brief moments of intriguing tension and fuzz get flattened into homogeneity.

— Mitch Therieau, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026

Definition of inhabits

Verb

Written and directed by Achyuth Vinayak, the film released in theaters in 2023, following a couple whose plan to elope is complicated when the man’s sister decides to elope as well.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
For high-volume production workloads, coding agents, document processing and customer operations that differential decides the purchase order.

— Mark Minevich, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of decides

Verb

Head to Stoos, which perches on a plateau at the base of the Fronalpstock in central Switzerland.

— Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
Live streams from entertainment events like the Grammys or Golden Globes aren’t typically perches for controversy, but, says Anthony McCartney, AP’s entertainment and lifestyles editor, celebrities will sometimes be asked to weigh in on recent headlines.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026

Definition of perches

Verb

Each contains a proprietary ingredient combination named VitaMega Complex, consisting of vitamin-C rich Kakadu plum, inositol to strengthen the hair fiber, and sacha inchi, an omega-dense oil that nourishes hair.

— Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
This pick from Dagne Dover pretty much checks every box—it is made from thick neoprene material that stands up on its own, contains multiple pockets for storage, and has a removable mesh pouch.

— Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 24 Aug. 2026