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settle for

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phrasal verb [transitive]
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theysettle for
he/she/itsettles for
present participlesettling for
past tensesettled for
past participlesettled for
  1. settle for someone/something to accept someone or something that is not exactly what you wanted because you cannot have what you wanted

    Injuries and illness forced the team to settle for third place.

    settle for second best:

    Why settle for second best when you can have something better?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  settle forThesaurus entry for this meaning of settle for

This is the American English definition of settle for. View British English definition of settle for.

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