saturate

1 of 2

verb

sat·​u·​rate ˈsa-chə-ˌrāt 

saturated; saturating

transitive verb

1

: to satisfy fully : satiate

2

: to treat, furnish, or charge with something to the point where no more can be absorbed, dissolved, or retained

water saturated with salt

3

a

: to fill completely with something that permeates or pervades

book is saturated with Hollywood

—Newgate Callendar

b

: to load to capacity

4

: to cause to combine until there is no further tendency to combine

saturator

ˈsa-chə-ˌrā-tər 

noun

saturate

2 of 2

adjective

sat·​u·​rate ˈsa-chə-rət 

ˈsach-rət

: saturated

Synonyms

Verb

• drench
• drown
• impregnate
• macerate
• soak
• sodden
• sop
• souse
• steep

Adjective

• awash
• bathed
• bedraggled
• doused
• dowsed
• drenched
• dripping
• logged
• saturated
• soaked
• soaking
• sodden
• soggy
• sopping
• soppy
• soused
• washed
• water-soaked
• watered
• waterlogged
• watery
• wet

Choose the Right Synonym for saturate

soak, saturate, drench, steep, impregnate mean to permeate or be permeated with a liquid.

soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

soak the garment in soapy water

saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

a saturated sponge

drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

steep the tea for five minutes

impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

Examples of saturate in a Sentence

Verb

Saturate the sponge with water.

Images of the war saturated the news.

Their new products are saturating the market.

Adjective

the test will only work if the sample cloth is saturate with solution

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

You may be tempted to pump the wand into the tube to get the brush saturated, but don't—MAC says this causes the formula to dry out. —Sarah Han, Allure, 24 Dec. 2024

Over the years, the organization has made concerted efforts to appeal to audiences outside of its U.S. home, where the market is already greatly saturated. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Chief among them are efforts to train crews to identify and treat an overdose and a push to saturate fleets with naloxone, the opioid antagonist, commonly administered as a nasal spray under the trade name Narcan, that can reverse overdoses and retrieve a fading patient from a mortal slide. —C.j. Chivers James Patrick Cronin Elena Hecht Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 6 June 2024

To give the vinegar a longer working time, saturate paper towels and press them against the glass like wallpaper. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin saturatus, past participle of saturare, from satur well-fed — more at satire

First Known Use

Verb

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1782, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

saturate

verb

sat·​u·​rate

ˈsach-ə-ˌrāt

saturated; saturating

1

: to soak or fill with something to the point where no more can be absorbed or dissolved

saturate water with salt

2

: to fill completely with something that penetrates : steep

Medical Definition

saturate

1 of 2 transitive verb

sat·​u·​rate ˈsach-ə-ˌrāt 

saturated; saturating

1

: to treat, furnish, or charge with something to the point where no more can be absorbed, dissolved, or retained

water saturated with salt

a bandage saturated with blood

2

: to cause to combine until there is no further tendency to combine

saturate

2 of 2 noun

sat·​u·​rate -rət 

: a saturated chemical compound