a piece of land prepared for playing a game; "the home crowd cheered when Princeton took the field"
the circumstances under which competition occurs; "the government's objective is to insure a genuinely level playing field for American industry and commerce in Europe"
established in a desired position or place; not moving about; "nomads...absorbed among the settled people"; "settled areas"; "I don't feel entirely settled here"; "the advent of settled civilization"
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt; "with details of the wedding settled she could now sleep at night"
furnish with a preface or introduction; "She always precedes her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution"
move ahead (of others) in time or space
be the predecessor of; "Bill preceded John in the long line of Susan's husbands"
come before; "Most English adjectives precede the noun they modify"