had been settled

USAGE SUMMARY

'had been settled' is correct and can be used in written English.
Example sentence: The dispute between the two parties had been settled by the time the court hearing was due to take place.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

What had been settled, it disturbed.

The New Yorker

Finally, the score had been settled.

The New York Times - Sports

One of his civil suits had been settled.

The New Yorker

Smolen said that case had been settled for $1.7m.

The Guardian

By the time she died, though, the debt had been settled, a city official said.

The New York Times

It turns out that was because many previous complaints had been settled out of court.

The New York Times - Magazine

In that case, the merger litigation had been settled with Transatlantic agreeing to make additional disclosures.

The New York Times

By custom, his remains could not be buried until the dispute had been settled.

Encyclopedia Britannica

But with so much golf to play, and the weather so uncertain, nothing had been settled.

The New York Times - Sports

KPMG declined yesterday to identify which of those suits had been settled or which are pending.

The New York Times

For the second straight race, the score had been settled in the first 20 minutes.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been settled" to indicate that a situation, dispute, or matter was resolved or decided at some point in the past before another past event. This clearly establishes a sequence of events.

Common error

Avoid using "was settled" when you need to emphasize that the settlement occurred before another past action. "Was settled" simply indicates a past action, while "had been settled" highlights the completion of the action relative to another event in the past.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been settled" functions as the past perfect passive voice of the verb "settle". It indicates that an action of settling was completed before a certain time in the past. Ludwig confirms that this phrase is grammatically correct and commonly used.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

67%

Wiki

15%

Encyclopedias

3%

Less common in

Science

3%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been settled" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase in English to describe the resolution of a situation or the inhabitation of a place prior to a specific point in the past. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is widely accepted and appropriate for use across different contexts, primarily in neutral and formal writing. While alternative phrases like "had been resolved" or "had been decided" can be used depending on the specific context, "had been settled" provides a versatile and clear way to indicate the completion of an action in the past before another event occurred.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had been resolved

Focuses specifically on the resolution of a problem or conflict, rather than general settlement.

had been decided

Emphasizes the act of making a decision, implying a choice between options.

had been concluded

Highlights the termination or completion of a process or agreement.

had been agreed upon

Stresses the mutual agreement between parties, often in a negotiation or contract.

had been finalized

Implies the completion of a process with all details confirmed and approved.

had been worked out

Focuses on the process of reaching a solution through effort and discussion.

had been straightened out

Similar to 'worked out', but emphasizes resolving problems or misunderstandings.

had been inhabited

Shifts the meaning to refer to a place where people lived, rather than a dispute or issue.

had been populated

Similar to inhabited, but implies a larger number of people living in a place.

had been colonised

Refers to the establishment of a colony or settlement by a foreign power.

FAQs

How do I use "had been settled" in a sentence?

Use "had been settled" to indicate that something was resolved or decided before another event in the past. For example, "The legal dispute "had been settled" before the company's acquisition."

What's the difference between "had been settled" and "was settled"?

"Had been settled" indicates that an action was completed before another point in the past, whereas "was settled" simply indicates an action in the past. The former establishes a clearer sequence of events.

What are some alternatives to "had been settled"?

Depending on the context, you can use phrases such as "had been resolved", "had been decided", or "had been concluded".

Can "had been settled" refer to both disputes and physical locations?

Yes, "had been settled" can refer to both. It can describe the resolution of a dispute (e.g., "The lawsuit "had been settled"") or the inhabitation of a place (e.g., "The region "had been settled" by pioneers").