sate

1
as in to gorge
to fill with food to capacity I sated myself with an array of decadent offerings from the dessert table

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to satisfy
to put a complete end to (a physical need or desire) a huge meal that should have sated everyone's hunger

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of sate are cloy, glut, gorge, pall, satiate, and surfeit. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

When could cloy be used to replace sate?

While in some cases nearly identical to sate, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

When can glut be used instead of sate?

The words glut and sate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

When would gorge be a good substitute for sate?

While the synonyms gorge and sate are close in meaning, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

When is it sensible to use pall instead of sate?

Although the words pall and sate have much in common, pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

Where would surfeit be a reasonable alternative to sate?

The words surfeit and sate can be used in similar contexts, but surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sate So the Los Angeles Lakers, in desperate need of quality depth to contend in the brutal Western Conference, are left to sate their free-agency desires with the middling likes of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2025 With the sky purpling, the throng of clients (plus Cher) was sated. D. T. Max, New Yorker, 28 July 2025 Numerous investigations followed, with many Rolodexes and other material published to sate the beast. Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 19 July 2025 Kombucha without added sugar may also sate cravings. Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for sate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sate
Verb
  • People are talking about the storm while the gulls gorge on bread and peck at chicken bones.
    Deborah Levy, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Scheming girlfriends, questionable business partners, a fleet of lawyers and consultants gorging themselves on fees and a whole lot of other jockeying around Sumner Redstone’s fortune and his business empire.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 10 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • To satisfy this demand, Nebius will supply Microsoft with dedicated capacity from a new data center located in Vineland, New Jersey, starting later this year.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Other tasters agreed these anchovies had a meaty texture, which made each fillet a satisfying several bites.
    Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Gospel music played on speakers, family members served chicken soup, strangers hugged each other, friends left carrying several plates stuffed with leftover food.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Emily Meyer tries to hide medical bills from her children, stuffing them in her purse or a box under her desk at work.
    Megan Garnai, IndyStar, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Thanks to builder strategies, shifting home designs and a new construction glut the trend has flipped.
    Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
  • And while May is also a busy month for ESPN and TNT, which in late spring are glutted with live NBA and NHL playoff games, cable as a whole accounted for less than a quarter (24.1%) of all consumption last month.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • As a theater critic surfeited with plays, radio dramas worked best for me as an unplanned diversion in my car.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
  • But the younger people making theater now are drawn to it now because they’ve been surfeited with digital culture.
    Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023
Verb
  • At night, the fire crackled while insects filled the air and a distant lion let out a low, steady rumble.
    Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Companies are increasingly stepping into roles traditionally held by colleges, universities, and trade schools, creating their own certification programs to address skill gaps that formal education hasn't filled.
    Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sate. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on sate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!