Meanings
present singular third person settles for · participle present settling for · participle past settled for · past settled for
- idiomatictransitiveTo accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable.
He couldn't afford the expensive headphones, so he decided to settle for the lower-quality set.
1 more example
As the game entered three minutes of stoppage time, both sides almost snatched the win. Substitute Admir Mehmedi was inches away with Hart beaten and Stewart Downing, on for Walcott, shot weakly into the side-netting with the last kick of the game as England had to settle for a point.
2011 June 4, Phil McNulty, “England 2 - 2 Switzerland”, in BBCSynonyms: make do
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable.
Translations
Finnish tyytyä
- tyytyäto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
German sich mit etwas zufriedengeben
- sich mit etwas zufriedengebento accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
Hungarian megelégszik, beéri
- megelégszikto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- beérito accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
Italian accontentarsi
- accontentarsito accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
Polish obywać się, obyć się
- obywać sięto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- obyć sięto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- ograniczać się doto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- ograniczyć się doto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- poprzestawaćto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- poprzestaćto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- zadowalać sięto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- zadowolić sięto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
Spanish conformarse con, complacerse son
- conformarse conto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- complacerse sonto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- contentarse conto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
- resignarse conto accept or allow something, especially something not entirely desirable
Cite this entry
settle for. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/settle%20for
“settle for.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/settle%20for. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “settle for,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/settle%20for.
Source: settle for on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.