There are many uses of the word settle in English and we will have a look at a few of them here today. Some of them have very similar uses, but they are just used a slightly different context which gives them a slightly different meaning. But let’s have a look at a few right now.
To come to rest – This is usually used for a something that has been in flight, such as a bird. A bird will fly and then settle on the branch of a tree or on top of something else similar. For example “The bird settled on the branch at the top of the tree.”
To gather or collect – This usually means that something has fallen and come to rest upon a surface. This is commonly used for things such as snow settling on a mountain top or dust settling after being disturbed. For example – “The snow settled on the top of the mountain.”
To come to an agreement or resolution – You can use this to settle or agree upon a price of something or it can also be used to settle or come to a resolution of an argument. For example – “We finally settled on a price of $100.”
To take up residence or to colonize – When you move from one country to another with the purpose of making it a home and not just for a holiday, you are said to be settling in that country. Also in history when a group of people went to a previously uninhabited area, they were said to have settled that area. For example – “The British settled Australia in 1788.”
To pay a bill – This is primarily used when you are in a restaurant and you want to pay for the food you have ordered. You are said to be settling the bill. For example – “Excuse me waiter. I would like to settle my bill, please.”
To arrange or come to a decision – This means that you have come an agreement on a plan or something similar. You are said to have settled on a plan. Or you can settle the arrangements for something like a wedding or similar. For example – “We settled on a trip to The Alps for our holiday.”
To become calm or composed – This means to return to a state of composure after being either angry or restless in some way. Someone might even tell you that you need to settle down or become calm again. For example – “The crowd was very restless and it took them a long time to settle.”
So as you can see there are a lot of uses for the word settle and we have not even got to all of them yet. There are also a few phrasal verbs that include the word settle that are in common use in English. Good luck decoding all the different meanings.
K. Charles
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- “Delexical Verbs”
- “Primary Auxiliaries And Modal Auxiliaries”
- “Word Order”
- “Phrasal Verbs with ‘Put’”
- “The Difference Between Reflexive Pronouns and Emphasising Pronouns”