saturate
gb/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪt/ us/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪt/
B2
English
~ 7500
telít, eláraszt, átitat, átáztat, színtelítettséget növel, telítettebbé tesz, sűrű tűz alá vesz, lövedékekkel eláraszt
VERB
C1
1
Usage pattern:
to saturate [something] with [something]
Streaming services have saturated the market with new shows.
A streamingszolgáltatók új sorozatokkal árasztották el a piacot.
The city was saturated with election posters and campaign messages.
A várost elárasztották a választási plakátok és kampányüzenetek.
After years of rapid growth, the smartphone market is now saturated.
The company plans to saturate social media with targeted ads before the product launch.
Emergency alerts saturated the network during the storm.
Learner examples
The TV channel is saturated with commercials.
A tévécsatorna tele van reklámokkal.
Cheap products from abroad saturated the local market.
Az olcsó külföldi termékek elárasztották a helyi piacot.
News about the scandal saturated my social media feed.
Tourists saturated the small town in the summer.
The inbox was saturated with promotion emails.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *saturate* where *fill* or *cover* is more natural in everyday speech. *Saturate* sounds stronger and more complete than *fill*, and is often used for markets, media, or areas that already have more than enough of something.
Meaning
fill so completely nothing more fits
Collocations
saturate the market
|saturate demand
|saturate the media
|saturate the airwaves
|saturate a region
|saturated with ads
Synonyms
flood (Often suggests a sudden or overwhelming amount, especially of things like products, messages, or information.)
Antonyms
limit (Means to keep the amount of something small or controlled, instead of filling completely.)
Themes
business
|media
|general
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To give or add so much of something that there is no more space, need, or interest for more.
To supply or fill something to such an extent that it cannot take or absorb any more, often creating an excess.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
to saturate [something] with [liquid]
Heavy rain saturated the soil in just a few hours.
A heves eső néhány óra alatt teljesen átáztatta a talajt.
She saturated the sponge with soapy water before wiping the table.
Mielőtt letörölte az asztalt, szappanos vízzel átitatta a szivacsot.
The ground was already saturated, so the extra rain caused flooding.
Floodwaters saturated the carpets and walls on the lower floor.
Once the paper is saturated with ink, it starts to tear easily.
Learner examples
The towel is saturated with water.
A törölköző teljesen csuromvizes.
Rain saturated the field last night.
Az eső tegnap éjjel teljesen feláztatta a mezőt.
Please saturate the cloth with cleaner before you use it.
The soil is saturated, so the plants do not need more water.
My shoes were saturated after I walked in the storm.
Common mistake:
Learners may say *very wet* or *full of water* when *saturated* is more precise, especially in written descriptions. Also, they sometimes confuse *soak* (less technical, more everyday) with *saturate* (often used when something cannot take in more liquid).
Meaning
make completely soaked with liquid
Collocations
saturate the soil
|saturate the ground
|saturated with water
|saturate the sponge
|rain-saturated
|saturate the cloth
Synonyms
soak (More common in everyday speech; can sound less technical and less absolute than *saturate*.)
Antonyms
dry (Means to remove water or liquid, the opposite of making something very wet.)
Themes
daily_life
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make something very, very wet so it cannot take in more water or liquid.
To cause something to become thoroughly soaked with liquid so that it can absorb no more.
VERB
C1
TECHNICAL
3
telít
B2
Usage pattern:
to saturate [a solution] with [a substance]
Stir the mixture until you saturate the solution with sugar.
Addig keverd a keveréket, amíg cukorral nem telíted az oldatot.
The lake water is naturally saturated with minerals.
A tó vize természetes módon telített ásványi anyagokkal.
At this temperature, seawater is already saturated with salt.
Once the solution is saturated, any extra solid will remain undissolved at the bottom.
Carbonated drinks are made by saturating water with carbon dioxide under pressure.
Learner examples
You can saturate water with salt by adding more and more until no more will dissolve.
A vizet úgy telítheted sóval, hogy egyre többet adsz hozzá, amíg több már nem oldódik fel belőle.
The teacher showed us a saturated solution in science class.
A tanár egy telített oldatot mutatott nekünk a kémiaórán.
When the liquid is saturated, extra powder stays at the bottom.
The bottle contains water saturated with carbon dioxide.
Heat can change how easy it is to saturate a liquid.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse *concentrated* with *saturated*. A solution can be concentrated but not yet saturated; *saturated* means it cannot dissolve any more of the solute at that temperature.
Meaning
bring a solution to saturation point
Collocations
saturate the solution
|saturated solution
|saturate water with salt
|saturated with carbon dioxide
|temperature at which water is saturated
Synonyms
fully dissolve (Describes the result but not the strict scientific state where no more can dissolve.)
Antonyms
dilute (Means to make a solution weaker or less concentrated, which is the opposite direction of saturating it.)
Themes
science
|education
Definition
To add so much of a substance to a liquid that the liquid cannot dissolve any more of it.
In chemistry, to cause a solvent to hold as much of a dissolved substance as it can at a given temperature or pressure, so that additional substance will not dissolve.
VERB
C1
TECHNICAL
4
Usage pattern:
to saturate [colors / an image / a signal]
You can saturate the colors in the photo to make the sunset look more dramatic.
Növelheted a fotó színeinek telítettségét, hogy a naplemente drámaibb legyen.
The editor slightly saturated the image so that the product would stand out.
A szerkesztő kissé növelte a kép színtelítettségét, hogy a termék jobban kitűnjön.
If you over-saturate the video signal, the highlights will lose detail.
Designers often saturate background colors to create a bold, modern look.
The filters on this app automatically saturate skin tones.
Learner examples
Use this tool to saturate the colors in your picture.
Ezzel az eszközzel növelheted a képed színeinek telítettségét.
The photo looks fake because the colors are too saturated.
A fotó hamisnak tűnik, mert túl telítettek a színek.
He saturated the red parts of the image.
If you saturate the signal too much, the sound is not clear.
They saturated the logo color to make it stronger.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *saturate* instead of *brighten* for images. *Brighten* means make lighter; *saturate* means make the colors more intense, not necessarily lighter.
Meaning
increase color or signal saturation
Collocations
saturate the colors
|highly saturated image
|saturate the signal
|saturated hues
|saturate the background
Synonyms
intensify (Broader verb that can apply to many things; *saturate* is specific to technical adjustment of color or signal strength.)
Antonyms
desaturate (Technical opposite in imaging; means to reduce the intensity of colors toward gray.)
Themes
technology
|art
|media
|arts_entertainment
Definition
To make colors or a signal very strong and clear, sometimes as strong as possible.
To adjust or process a color, image, or signal so that its intensity or purity is increased, often up to the maximum level before distortion or loss of detail.
VERB
C1
TECHNICAL
5
Usage pattern:
to saturate [an area / a target] with [fire / bombs / missiles]
The artillery units were ordered to saturate the area with shell fire.
A tüzérségi egységek azt a parancsot kapták, hogy sűrű ágyútűz alá vegyék a területet.
Missiles were used to saturate the enemy defenses before the ground assault.
A szárazföldi roham előtt rakétákkal vették sűrű tűz alá az ellenség védelmi állásait.
Airstrikes saturated the target zone throughout the night.
They planned to saturate the border region with drones and surveillance fire.
The report described how rockets saturated the city’s outskirts.
Learner examples
The army tried to saturate the enemy base with bombs.
A hadsereg megpróbálta bombákkal elárasztani az ellenséges bázist.
Rockets saturated the small town during the attack.
A támadás során rakétazápor zúdult a kisvárosra.
They saturated the area with fire before soldiers moved in.
Planes saturated the coast with missiles.
The news said the city was saturated with artillery fire.
Meaning
cover an area with heavy fire
Collocations
saturate the area with artillery fire
|saturate the target
|saturate defenses
|saturate the region with missiles
|saturated bombardment
Synonyms
bombard (Common general word; *saturate* suggests even more complete coverage and density of fire.)
Antonyms
cease fire (Means to stop shooting, which contrasts with very heavy, continuous fire.)
Themes
military
|news
|politics
Definition
To fire or drop so many weapons on a place that they cover almost all of it.
In military contexts, to direct such a large number of weapons, bombs, or projectiles at an area that they cover it completely or almost completely.
Grammar
Dictionary form
saturate
IPA
GB/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪt/
US/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
sat - ur - ate (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (sat)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: saturate
- 3rd Person Singular: saturates
- Present Participle: saturating
- Past: saturated
Word family
Forms
Core family
saturation
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unsaturated
adjective
Advanced or less common
oversaturation
noun
oversaturated
adjective
Expressions
be saturated with
1/bˈi sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪtɪd wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
be completely filled with something
To contain or have so much of something that there is hardly space, need, or attention for more of it.
Examples
- Social media is saturated with videos of the event.
- The ground is saturated with water after the storm.
- The report is saturated with technical jargon that few people understand.
saturate the market
1/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪt ðə mˈɑɹkɪt/
fixed phrase
supply a market more than enough
To sell or offer so many products or services in a market that people do not want or need more.
Examples
- Low-cost smartphones from new brands have saturated the market.
- Analysts warn that another similar app will only saturate the market further.
- The company plans to saturate the market before competitors can react.
saturated fat
1/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪtɪd fˈæt/
fixed phrase
type of dietary fat
A kind of fat found in foods like butter, cheese, and fatty meat that is usually solid at room temperature and is often linked to health risks when eaten in large amounts.
Examples
- Health experts advise limiting foods high in saturated fat.
- The nutrition label shows how much saturated fat the snack contains.
- Butter is a major source of saturated fat in many diets.
saturated fat
1/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪtɪd fˈæt/
fixed phrase
Dietary fat type
a kind of fat in some foods that health advice often says to limit
Examples
- The nutrition label says the cookies contain five grams of saturated fat per serving.
- Many health guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat.
- Coconut oil is high in saturated fat.
Learner examples
- Butter has a lot of saturated fat.
- I try to eat less saturated fat.
saturated solution
1/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪtɪd səlˈuʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
solution holding as much solute as possible
A liquid that already has so much of a substance dissolved in it that no more of that substance can dissolve at that temperature.
Examples
- The teacher demonstrated a saturated solution using salt and water.
- Crystals began to form once the solution became saturated.
- A saturated solution will leave extra solid at the bottom of the container.
saturated solution
1/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪtɪd səlˈuʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
Solution holding maximum solute
a liquid mixture that cannot dissolve any more of a substance under the same conditions
Examples
- The students made a saturated solution of sugar and water.
- Crystals began to form when the saturated solution cooled.
- To prepare a saturated solution, keep adding the solid until some remains undissolved.
Learner examples
- This is a saturated solution of salt.
- The solution cannot dissolve more sugar.
saturated with ads
1/sˈæt͡ʃɚˌeɪtɪd wˈɪθ ˈædz/
fixed phrase
overfilled with advertisements
Having so many advertisements that they seem to be everywhere and it feels like too much.
Examples
- Video platforms are saturated with ads lately.
- My feed is saturated with ads for the same product.
- Viewers complain that the channel is saturated with ads during prime time.