set

1. 1

   To put (something) down, to rest.transitive

   • Set the tray there.
2. 2

   To attach or affix (something) to something else, or in or upon a certain place.transitive

   • I have set my heart on running the marathon.
3. 3

   To put in a specified condition or state; to cause to be.transitive

   • The Lord thy God will set thee on high.
   • I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother.
4. 4

   To start (a fire).transitive

5. 5

   To cause to stop or stick; to obstruct; to fasten to a spot.datedtransitive

   • to set a coach in the mud
6. 6

   To determine or settle.transitive

   • to set the rent
7. 7

   To adjust.transitive

   • I set the alarm at 6 a.m.
   • I set the alarm for 6 a.m.
8. 8

   To punch (a nail) into wood so that its head is below the surface.transitive

9. 9

   To arrange with dishes and cutlery, to set the table.transitive

   • Please set the table for our guests.
10. 10

    To introduce or describe.transitive

    • I’ll tell you what happened, but first let me set the scene.

1. 1

   A punch for setting nails in wood.

   • nail set
2. 2

   A device for receiving broadcast radio waves (or, more recently, broadcast data); a radio or television.

   • television set
3. 3

   Alternative form of sett (“a hole made and lived in by a badger”).alt-ofalternative

4. 4

   Alternative form of sett (“pattern of threads and yarns”).alt-ofalternative

5. 5

   Alternative form of sett (“piece of quarried stone”).alt-ofalternative

6. 6

   A small tuber or bulb used instead of seed, particularly onion sets and potato sets.

7. 7

   The amount by which the teeth of a saw protrude to the side in order to create the kerf.

8. 8

   A permanent change of shape caused by excessive strain, as from compression, tension, bending, twisting, etc.

   • the set of a spring
9. 9

   A bias of mind; an attitude or pattern of behaviour.

10. 10

    A piece placed temporarily upon the head of a pile when the latter cannot otherwise be reached by the weight, or hammer.

1. 1

   Fixed in position.

   • Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on menta
2. 2

   Rigid, solidified.

3. 3

   Ready, prepared.

   • on your marks, get set, go!; on your marks, set, go!
4. 4

   Intent, determined (to do something).

   • set on getting to his destination
5. 5

   Prearranged.

   • a set menu
   • a set book
6. 6

   Fixed in one’s opinion.

   • I’m set against the idea of smacking children to punish them.
7. 7

   Fixed in a certain style.

1. 1

   A young plant fit for setting out; a slip; shoot.

2. 2

   A rudimentary fruit.

3. 3

   The setting of the sun or other luminary; (by extension) the close of the day.

   • The weary sun hath made a golden set.
   • And a rose-bush leans upon, / Thou that faintly smilest still, / As a Naiad in a well, / Looking at the set of day, […]
4. 4

   General movement; direction; drift; tendency.figurativelyliterally

   • Here and there, amongst individuals alive to the particular evils of the age, and watching the very set of the current, there may have been even a more systematic counteraction applied to the mischief.
   • He put his eye to the alidade. “I thought so! Zero five four and that's allowing nothing for set and drift along the line of bearing. We're inside the departure point now[…]”
5. 5

   A matching collection of similar things. (Note the similar meaning in Etymology 2, Noun.)

   • a set of tables
6. 6

   A collection of various objects for a particular purpose.

   • a set of tools
7. 7

   An object made up of several parts.

   • a set of steps
8. 8

   A collection of zero or more objects, possibly infinite in size, and disregarding any order or repetition of the objects which may be contained within it.

9. 9

   Set theory.informalplural

10. 10

    A group of people, usually meeting socially or connected through some shared interest, activity, attribute, etc.

    • the country set

syn. set theory

1. 1

   To divide a class group in a subject according to ability.UK

   • At Amber Hill, setting was a high-profile concept, and the students were frequently reminded of the set to which they belonged.