settle for
InseparableThe verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: settle FOR. Saying “SETTLE for” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
No pause between the words. /l/ runs straight into /f/ — “settle for” is one rhythmic unit with a single stressed beat on the particle.
What it means
To accept something less than what you wanted.
- “They wanted forty and settled for thirty-two.”
- “Don't settle for the first offer.”
Similar: accept, compromise on