Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

satisfy

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb British English pronunciation: satisfy /ˈsætɪsfaɪ/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theysatisfy
he/she/itsatisfies
present participlesatisfying
past tensesatisfied
past participlesatisfied
  1. 1
    [transitive] to please someone by giving them something that they want or need

    an agreement that is unlikely to satisfy environmental campaigners

    It's impossible to satisfy everyone.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of satisfy
    1. a.
      [intransitive/transitive] if something satisfies your needs or wants, it gives you what you need or want

      celebrities who will do almost anything to satisfy their craving for publicity

      satisfy someone's curiosity:

      I just want to satisfy my curiosity – why did he do it?

      satisfy someone's hunger/appetite/thirst:

      There's nothing like a cold beer to satisfy your thirst.

      satisfy the demand for something (=provide as much as people want):

      Entire forests are being destroyed to satisfy the demand for wooden furniture.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of satisfy
  2. 2
    [transitive] if something satisfies a rule, condition, or standard, it has all the qualities or features that are necessary according to the rule, condition etc

    Students must satisfy all requirements to be accepted on the course.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of satisfy
  3. 3
    [transitive] to provide someone with the evidence that they need in order to be certain that something is true
    satisfy someone/yourself (that):

    The prosecution has to satisfy the jury that the defendant is guilty.

    We'll be carrying out our own inspection, to satisfy ourselves that safety standards are acceptable.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of satisfy

This is the British English definition of satisfy. View American English definition of satisfy.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

View the pronunciation for satisfy.

 

cyberloafing

using the Internet where you work, during working hours, for activities which are not work-related

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

dark matter

a substance that scientists think exists out in space, but for which they have no direct proof

Open Dictionary

show a bit of ankle

… to reveal a small part of your intentions in order to attract support, without actually committing yourself to doing anything

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog