English Dictionary

Definition of “set”

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1set1 (sɛtPronunciation for set1) 

Definitions

verb

Word forms: sets, setting, set
(mainly tr)
  1. to put or place in position or into a specified state or condition  ⇒ to set a book on the table to set someone free 
  2. (also intr; foll by to or on) to put or be put (to); apply or be applied  ⇒ he set fire to the house they set the dogs on the scent 
  3. to put into order or readiness for use; prepare  ⇒ to set a trap to set the table for dinner 
  4. (also intr) to put, form, or be formed into a jelled, firm, fixed, or rigid state  ⇒ the jelly set in three hours 
  5. (also intr) to put or be put into a position that will restore a normal state  ⇒ to set a broken bone 
  6. to adjust (a clock or other instrument) to a position
  7. to determine or establish  ⇒ we have set the date for our wedding 
  8. to prescribe or allot (an undertaking, course of study, etc)  ⇒ the examiners have set ``Paradise Lost'' 
  9. to arrange in a particular fashion, esp an attractive one  ⇒ she set her hair the jeweller set the diamonds in silver 
  10. (of clothes) to hang or fit (well or badly) when worn
  11. set to musicto provide music for (a poem or other text to be sung)
  12. set upprinting to arrange or produce (type, film, etc) from (text or copy); compose
  13. to arrange (a stage, television studio, etc) with scenery and props
  14. to describe or present (a scene or the background to a literary work, story, etc) in words  ⇒ his novel is set in Russia 
  15. to present as a model of good or bad behaviour (esp in the phrases set an example, set a good example, set a bad example)
  16. on or by to value (something) at a specified price or estimation of worth  ⇒ he set a high price on his services 
  17. (foll by at) to price (the value of something) at a specified sum  ⇒ he set his services at £300 
  18. (also intr) to give or be given a particular direction  ⇒ his course was set to the East 
  19. (also intr) to rig (a sail) or (of a sail) to be rigged so as to catch the wind
  20. (intr) (of the sun, moon, etc) to disappear beneath the horizon
  21. to leave (dough, etc) in one place so that it may prove
  22. to sharpen (a cutting blade) by grinding or honing the angle adjacent to the cutting edge
  23. to displace alternate teeth of (a saw) to opposite sides of the blade in order to increase the cutting efficiency
  24. to sink (the head of a nail) below the surface surrounding it by using a nail set
  25. computing to give (a binary circuit) the value 1
  26. (of plants) to produce (fruits, seeds, etc) after pollination or (of fruits or seeds) to develop after pollination
  27. to plant (seeds, seedlings, etc)
  28. to place (a hen) on (eggs) for the purpose of incubation
  29. (intr) (of a gun dog) to turn in the direction of game, indicating its presence
  30. Scottish Irish to let or lease  ⇒ to set a house 
  31. bridge to defeat (one's opponents) in their attempt to make a contract
  32. a dialect word for sit
  33. See set eyes on

noun

  1. the act of setting or the state of being set
  2. a condition of firmness or hardness
  3. bearing, carriage, or posture  ⇒ the set of a gun dog when pointing 
  4. the fit or hang of a garment, esp when worn
  5. the scenery and other props used in and identifying the location of a stage or television production, film, etc
  6. set widthprinting 
    1. the width of the body of a piece of type
    2. the width of the lines of type in a page or column
  7. nautical 
    1. the cut of the sails or the arrangement of the sails, spars, rigging, etc, of a vessel
    2. the direction from which a wind is blowing or towards which a tide or current is moving
  8. psychology a temporary bias disposing an organism to react to a stimulus in one way rather than in others
  9. a seedling, cutting, or similar part that is ready for planting  ⇒ onion sets 
  10. a blacksmith's tool with a short head similar to a cold chisel set transversely onto a handle and used, when struck with a hammer, for cutting off lengths of iron bars
  11. See nail set
  12. the direction of flow of water
  13. a mechanical distortion of shape or alignment, such as a bend in a piece of metal
  14. the penetration of a driven pile for each blow of the drop hammer
  15. a variant spelling of sett

adjective

  1. fixed or established by authority or agreement  ⇒ set hours of work 
  2. (usually postpositive) rigid or inflexible  ⇒ she is set in her ways 
  3. unmoving; fixed  ⇒ a set expression on his face 
  4. conventional, artificial, or stereotyped, rather than spontaneous  ⇒ she made her apology in set phrases 
  5. (postpositive; foll by on or upon) resolute in intention  ⇒ he is set upon marrying 
  6. (of a book, etc) prescribed for students' preparation for an examination

See also

set about , set against , set aside , set back , set down , set forth , set in , set off , set on , set out , set to , set up , set upon

Word Origin

Old English settan,  causative of sittan  to sit; related to Old Frisian setta,  Old High German sezzan

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= put, place, lay, leave, park, position, rest, plant, station, stick, deposit, locate, lodge, situate, plump, plonk,
= switch on, turn on, activate, programme,
= adjust, regulate, coordinate, rectify, synchronize,
= embed, fix, mount, install, fasten,
= arrange, decide (upon) settle, name, establish, determine, fix, schedule, appoint, specify, allocate, designate, ordain, fix up, agree upon
= assign, give, allot, prescribe,
= create, provide, establish, set up, institute,
= harden, stiffen, condense, solidify, cake, gel, thicken, crystallize, congeal, jell, coagulate, gelatinize,
= go down, sink, dip, decline, disappear, vanish, subside,
= prepare, lay, spread, arrange, make ready,
= impose, specify, lay down, decree, ordain,
= aim, point, turn, train, direct, steer, orientate,
= established, fixed, specified, planned, decided, agreed, standard, regular, usual, arranged, rigid, definite, customary, inflexible, predetermined, unchanging, hard and fast, immovable, unvarying,
= strict, firm, rigid, hardened, stubborn, entrenched, inflexible, ingrained, deep-seated, deep-rooted, hidebound,
= compulsory, required, assigned, recommended, imposed, specified, prescribed, stipulated,
= conventional, stock, standard, traditional, formal, routine, artificial, stereotyped, rehearsed, hackneyed, unspontaneous
= located, sited, situated, found, perched,
= fixed, decided, firm, agreed, established, settled, scheduled, appointed, arranged, prescribed, definite, predetermined, prearranged,
= scenery, setting, scene, stage setting stage set, mise-en-scène
= position, bearing, attitude, carriage, turn, fit, hang, posture,

2set2 (sɛtPronunciation for set2) 

Definitions

noun

  1. a number of objects or people grouped or belonging together, often forming a unit or having certain features or characteristics in common  ⇒ a set of coins John is in the top set for maths 
  2. a group of people who associate together, esp a clique  ⇒ he's part of the jet set 
  3. mathematics logic 
    1. Also called classa collection of numbers, objects, etc, that is treated as an entity: a collection of numbers, objects, etc, that is treated as an entity: 3, the moon is the set the two members of which are the number 3 and the moon
    2. (in some formulations) a class that can itself be a member of other classes
  4. any apparatus that receives or transmits television or radio signals
  5. tennis squash badminton one of the units of a match, in tennis one in which one player or pair of players must win at least six games  ⇒ Graf lost the first set 
    1. the number of couples required for a formation dance
    2. a series of figures that make up a formation dance
    1. a band's or performer's concert repertoire on a given occasion  ⇒ the set included no new numbers 
    2. a continuous performance  ⇒ the Who played two sets 

verb

Word forms: sets, setting, set
  1. (intr) (in square dancing and country dancing) to perform a sequence of steps while facing towards another dancer  ⇒ set to your partners 
  2. (usually tr) to divide into sets  ⇒ in this school we set our older pupils for English 

Word Origin

C14 (in the obsolete sense: a religious sect): from Old French sette,  from Latin sectasect; later sense development influenced by the verb setC14 (in the obsolete sense: a religious sect): from Old French from Latin ; later sense development influenced by the verb 1

sett or set(sɛtPronunciation for )

Definitions

noun

  1. a small rectangular paving block made of stone, such as granite, used to provide a durable road surface Compare cobblestone
  2. the burrow of a badger
    1. a square in a pattern of tartan
    2. the pattern itself

Word Origin

C19: variant of setC19: variant of 1 (n) (n)

Translations

  • British English: set Pronunciation for set A set of things is a number of things that belong together.I'll need a set of clean clothes.sɛt NOUN I'll need a set of clean clothes.
  • Spanish: juego Pronunciation for juego nm
  • French: ensemble Pronunciation for ensemble nm
  • German: Satz Pronunciation for Satz nm Sätze
  • Chinese: 一套Pronunciation for 一套 n
  • Arabic: مَجْمُوعَةPronunciation for مَجْمُوعَة n
  • Portuguese: conjuntoPronunciation for conjunto nm
  • Russian: наборPronunciation for набор nm
  • Croatian: setPronunciation for set nm
  • Czech: sadaPronunciation for sada nf
  • Danish: sætPronunciation for sæt nnt
  • Dutch: setPronunciation for set nm
  • Finnish: settiPronunciation for setti n
  • Greek: σετPronunciation for σετ nnt
  • Italian: setPronunciation for set nm
  • Japanese: ひとそろいPronunciation for ひとそろい n
  • Korean: 한 벌Pronunciation for 한 벌 n
  • Norwegian: settPronunciation for sett nnt
  • Polish: zestawPronunciation for zestaw nm
  • Brazilian Portuguese: conjuntoPronunciation for conjunto nm
  • European Spanish: juego Pronunciation for juego nm
  • Swedish: setPronunciation for set nnt
  • Thai: ชุดPronunciation for ชุด n
  • Turkish: ayarlamaPronunciation for ayarlama n
  • Vietnamese: bộPronunciation for bộ n
  • British English: set Pronunciation for set If you set something somewhere, you put it there.He set the glass on the table.sɛt VERB He set the glass on the table.
  • Spanish: colocar Pronunciation for colocar v
  • French: poser Pronunciation for poser vt
  • German: setzen Pronunciation for setzen v
  • Chinese: 放Pronunciation for 放 vt
  • Arabic: يَضِعُPronunciation for يَضِعُ v
  • Portuguese: pôrPronunciation for pôr vt
  • Russian: устанавливатьPronunciation for устанавливать vt
  • Croatian: postavitiPronunciation for postaviti v
  • Czech: uvéstPronunciation for uvést vt uvádět
  • Danish: sættePronunciation for sætte v
  • Dutch: instellenPronunciation for instellen vt
  • Finnish: asettaaPronunciation for asettaa v
  • Greek: στήνωPronunciation for στήνω v
  • Italian: porrePronunciation for porre v
  • Japanese: 定めるPronunciation for 定める v
  • Korean: ...을 놓다Pronunciation for ...을 놓다 vt
  • Norwegian: settePronunciation for sette v
  • Polish: umieścićPronunciation for umieścić vt umieszczać
  • Brazilian Portuguese: pôrPronunciation for pôr vt
  • European Spanish: colocar Pronunciation for colocar v
  • Swedish: sättaPronunciation for sätta vt
  • Thai: วาง จัดเตรียม ตั้งเวลา ตั้งระบบPronunciation for วาง จัดเตรียม ตั้งเวลา ตั้งระบบ vt
  • Turkish: ayarlamakPronunciation for ayarlamak vt
  • Vietnamese: đặtPronunciation for đặt v

Usage examples

  • He could remember feeling the same way, when he was her age, and he discovered how much his power set him apart.
    Jennifer Fallon, TREASON KEEP (2001)
  • There is nothing, save perhaps a seven foot West Indian, to set the English cricketer more on edge than the noise of a cocky Australian.
    Country Life (2004)
  • A committee of inspection was also set up to provide assistance to the liquidator.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • The sun has already set... There isn't much light at the South Pole.
    Glasgow Herald (2001)
  • Following the example set by their mother, all three were high-class courtesans, indeed, Sarah was never sure who her father was.
    Jim Leavesley, George Biro, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'S'

Related Terms

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