completely fill up with something

saturate

verb|/ˈsætʃ.ə.reɪt/

Fill completely until no more can be absorbed

Examples

In a meeting

We've saturated the local market and need to expand regionally.

Over coffee

The sponge is saturated—it can't hold any more water.

Why this word

soak

Saturate means filling to maximum capacity with no room for more, while soak implies thorough wetting without the completeness

fill

Saturate indicates reaching the point where no more can be absorbed, while fill may not reach capacity

flood

Saturate emphasizes complete absorption to capacity, while flood suggests overwhelming excess

Usage tip

Use when something is filled to maximum capacity or a market is fully served

Etymology

Latin 'saturare' (to fill full, sate)

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