sat ‧ is ‧ fy S3 W2 /ˈsætəsfaɪ, ˈsætɪsfaɪ/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle satisfied , present participle satisfying , third person singular satisfies ) [transitive]
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ satisfactory ≠ ↑ unsatisfactory , ↑ satisfied ≠ ↑ dissatisfied ≠ ↑ unsatisfied , ↑ satisfying ; adverb : ↑ satisfactorily ≠ UNSATISFACTORILY , ↑ satisfyingly ; verb : ↑ satisfy ; noun : ↑ satisfaction ≠ ↑ dissatisfaction ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: satisfier , from Latin satisfacere , from satis 'enough' + facere 'to make' ]
1 . to make someone feel pleased by doing what they want:
Nothing I did would ever satisfy my father.
2 . if you satisfy someone’s needs, demands etc, you provide what they need or want
satisfy sb’s needs/demands/desires
The program is designed to satisfy the needs of adult learners.
satisfy sb’s hunger/appetite (=give someone enough food to stop them from feeling hungry)
A salad won’t be enough to satisfy my appetite.
Just to satisfy my curiosity (=find out something) , how much did it cost?
3 . formal to make someone feel sure that something is right or true SYN convince
satisfy somebody of something
Jackson tried to satisfy me of his innocence.
satisfy yourself (that)
Having satisfied herself that no one was there, she closed the door.
4 . formal to be good enough for a particular purpose, standard etc SYN meet :
Have you satisfied all the requirements for the general degree?
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ nouns
▪ satisfy a need
Education must satisfy the needs of its pupils.
▪ satisfy a demand
The company was unable to satisfy demand for the product.
▪ satisfy somebody's appetite/hunger
They don't get enough food to satisfy their appetite.
▪ satisfy a desire
It is difficult to satisfy a desire for power.
▪ satisfy an urge
Her urge to travel had never been satisfied.
▪ satisfy somebody's curiosity (=let someone know something they want to know)
I had to read the letter, just to satisfy my curiosity.
▪ satisfy somebody's wants (=provide the things that someone wants)
We work hard to satisfy customers' wants.
▪ satisfy somebody's aspirations (=provide the things that someone hopes to get)
The new government failed to satisfy the aspirations of the people.
▪ satisfy somebody's cravings (=satisfy a strong desire)
I needed to satisfy my cravings for chocolate.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 4)
■ nouns
▪ satisfy a requirement
The application must satisfy the requirements of Article 6.
▪ satisfy a condition
Free treatment is available providing that two conditions are satisfied.
▪ satisfy a criterion
These programmes permit students to enter higher education without satisfying all the admissions criteria.