set1 verbset2 nounset3 adjective
setset1 /set/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle set, present participle setting) 
WORD ORIGINset1
Origin:
Old English settanVERB TABLE
set
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | set |
| he, she, it | sets | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | set |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have set |
| he, she, it | has set | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had set |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will set |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have set |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am setting |
| he, she, it | is setting | |
| you, we, they | are setting | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was setting |
| you, we, they | were setting | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been setting |
| he, she, it | has been setting | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been setting |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be setting |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been setting |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Anneka was set the huge task by Christian Aid on behalf of a family who fled from war-torn Mozambique.
- At the end of the session, they were set a homework task.
- Had the glue set yet?
- I still haven't figured out how to set the VCR to tape while I'm away.
- Is that all -- or has she set some other task for you as well?
- It's best to pour your yoghurt into small containers before it sets.
- Leave the jam in a cool place to set.
- Let the dessert set in the fridge for two hours.
- Mr Harris always sets a lot of homework.
- Put the jelly in the fridge for an hour to set.
- She set us some work to do in groups.
- The concrete will take several hours to set, so make sure no one walks on it.
- The play is set in Madrid in the year 1840.
- We set our alarm for five a.m. so we could get an early start.
- He was not a man to give way easily and he had clearly set his heart on making her recognise her father.
- Much of what follows is set therefore in the form of questions which need to be considered by all of us.
- Spread the frosting on the brownies in a thin coat, only enough to cover, and set aside to firm.
- The first to be set is the backlight.
- The rate of interest, in the shape of a tax-free bonus, is set by the Treasury.
- They were set for the garlic and the prawns, if they made it quick.
THESAURUS
to gradually collect money by not spending all the money you have, especially when you regularly put some of it in a bank: · She doesn’t earn much, but she still manages to save a few dollars each week.· We’re saving for a deposit to buy a house.
to regularly save part of the money you earn, especially over a long period of time: · You should start setting aside part of your earnings as retirement savings.
to try to save money by spending less on the things you need and by saving what you can, especially when you do not earn very much: · My parents scrimped and saved for years to send me to college.
informal to keep something, especially money, in a safe place to be used later: · I wanted to surprise her, so I squirreled away a couple of dollars a week to spend on a present.
to spend less money by buying only the things that you really need, or by buying cheaper things: · Weddings can be expensive, but you can economize by doing some things yourself.
Longman Language Activatorto arrange a group of things or people to put a group of things or people in a particular order or position: arrange somebody/something: · Why don't you arrange the kids and I'll take their picture.· Coyle arranged the cushions and sat down on the sofa.arrange something in pairs/rows/groups etc: · The desks were arranged in pairs.arrange something/somebody in a circle: · Can you arrange yourselves in a circle so that everyone can see me?arrange something alphabetically (=according to the letters of the alphabet): · The books are arranged alphabetically, according to author.arrange something in order of height/importance etc: · If you have a lot of things to do, just make a list and arrange them in order of importance.
also organise British to arrange in order information, ideas etc according to a system, so that they will be more effective or easier to use: · Organize your notes very carefully before giving a speech.· You might find that writing an outline will help you to organize your thoughts.organize something into piles/groups etc: · The book is organized into three sections.
to arrange a group of things on the floor, on a table, on a shelf etc for people to use, take, or look at: set out something: · If we set out the chairs now, they'll be ready for tonight's meeting.set something out: · A waiter brought drinks and sandwiches, and set them out on a low table beside the pool.
if a town, building etc is laid out in a particular way, it is arranged in that way according to a particular plan: · I like the way your new office is laid out.be laid out according to: · Kyoto is laid out according to a grid system.
to arrange people or things in a line: line up somebody/something: · "Line up your men," said the police inspector.line somebody/something etc up: · He lined the dolls up from tallest to shortest.
to arrange a group of things so that one comes after the other in a particular order: · The psychology books are ordered according to title, not according to author.
to arrange things so that they are in the correct order: · He cleaned his desk and put his papers in order before locking up the office.put something in alphabetical/numerical order: · We need to put all the names in alphabetical order.
to arrange a group of things in a different way from before: · "This room looks different. Have you painted it?" "No, I just rearranged the furniture."· This program allows you to create and rearrange images on-screen with the click of a mouse button.
to arrange to do something or arrange for something to happen to make preparations for a meeting, party, journey etc, for example by choosing a suitable time and place and telling people about it: · Ann's arranging a surprise party for Russell's birthday.· We're going on Friday - it's all arranged.arrange to do something: · They arranged to meet the following day.arrange for somebody to do something: · He arranged for Andi to leave on the next flight home.it is arranged that: · It was arranged that our visitors should stay at a nearby hotel.
also organise British to make preparations for an event, especially a big public event that needs a lot of preparation and planning: · I've been asked to organize this year's Summer Carnival.· an exhibition organised by the local camera club
especially British, spoken to arrange something, especially for someone else, in order to help them or because they cannot arrange it for themselves: fix something/fix up something: · Don't worry, Jean has already fixed everything.· We have done our best to fix up a meeting but they haven't shown any interest.fix something/it/them up: · We need to get all the sales staff together for a conference - could I leave it to you to fix it up, Jane?fix it for somebody to do something: · She can fix it for you to see the show free if you want.
also fix a date/time/place British to arrange for something to happen on a particular date etc: · I'll have my secretary set a date and we'll meet for lunch.· We need to meet with Elaine this afternoon but I'm having trouble fixing a time.
especially British to arrange for something to happen on a particular date or time knowing that the arrangements may have to be changed later: pencil somebody/something/it/her etc in: · I'll pencil you in but we might have to change the meeting to Thursday.pencil in somebody/something: · Let's pencil in the 19th for now, and you get in touch later if you can't make it.pencil somebody/something in for: · Dates for the concerts are pencilled in for late next year.· You can pencil him in for the 8th but I'm afraid I might be out of town that day.
to arrange all the details of an event after you have decided what you are going to do: · Uncle Bill has made all the funeral arrangements.make the arrangements/take care of the arrangements for: · Margot and Paul went up to London to make the arrangements for the wedding.· The marketing people will take care of all the arrangements for the presentation.make arrangements to do something: · I made arrangements to see Alec while he was in town.
to influence someone in a bad way to encourage someone to do bad or immoral things that they would not normally do: · They're afraid their son will be led astray by the older boys.· Parents complained that teachers were leading students astray by discussing contraception and abortion in the classroom.
if someone in a position of authority, such as a parent or teacher sets a bad example , they influence others to behave in a bad or immoral way because they themselves behave in a bad or immoral way: · Doctors who smoke set a bad example.set a bad example/be a bad example to: · Not only was it wrong of him to steal from the shop, he was setting a very bad example to his younger brother.be a bad example for/to somebody: · Waters doesn't drink or curse because he doesn't want to be a bad example for young people.
to make someone who would not normally behave badly behave in an immoral way, especially by having some influence over them over a long period of time: · The Senate will form a committee to determine if violence on television is corrupting young people.· The prison system does not work because many of the younger offenders are being corrupted by older, long-term prisoners.
someone who is a bad influence encourages someone else, especially a young person or someone who is easily influenced, to behave in the same bad or immoral way as themselves: · My parents don't want me to be friends with you any more. They think you're a bad influence.be a bad influence on: · Her new boyfriend has been a very bad influence on her.
to make something start burning to make something start to burn, so that it gets damaged: · Vandals set fire to an empty warehouse near the docks last night.· Teresa wondered if the burning log might set fire to the curtains.· The Vikings attacked villages along the coast and set them on fire.· The heat from the stove almost set the wallpaper on fire.
: light a cigarette/fire/candle etc to make a cigarette, fire etc start to burn: · Ricky sat down and lit a cigarette.· We searched around for twigs and fallen branches, so we could light a fire.
informal to deliberately make something start to burn in order to destroy it: · It looked to me like someone had torched the place.
to make something start to burn, especially something that burns easily such as a gas or chemical: · The gas is ignited by an electrical spark.· If the mixture proves difficult to ignite, increase the proportion of ethylene.
to make something bad suddenly happen if someone or something sets off a fight, war etc, it makes it start happening: set off something: · The army's invasion set off a major international crisis.set something off: · Nobody knows what set the riot off.
if a small action or event triggers or sparks serious trouble or changes, it causes them to happen very quickly: · Even the smallest diplomatic incident can trigger a major international conflict.· The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand sparked the First World War.trigger/spark off something: · Riots, sparked off by the arrest of seven student leaders, have spread to other universities.
formal to make something serious happen, especially more quickly than was expected: · The 1929 stock market crash precipitated the collapse of the American banking system.· Both countries claimed the same area, precipitating a border war.
someone who other people copy: an example to · As the eldest in the family, she was expected to be an example to her younger brothers and sisters.a shining example (=someone or something that should be admired and copied) · The school is a shining example of what parent-teacher cooperation can achieve.
if someone sets an example they behave correctly, work hard etc because other people are expected to copy them: · If Saunders is sincere about reform, he should set an example by taking a pay cut.set a (good) example for somebody: · Senior officers should be setting a good example for the men.
someone that you try to imitate because they are successful and have good qualities that you would also like to have: · He's a wonderfully kind man and an excellent role model for the children.· There aren't enough positive role models for young people today, especially for minority groups.
ways of saying or asking how much something costs if something costs £10, $100 etc, that is what you have to pay in order to buy it: · How much does a house like that cost in America?cost £10/$20/a lot etc: · Tickets for the show cost £15 or £20.cost somebody £10/$20 etc: · I stayed in a hotel in Paris which cost me $150 a night.cost a fortune informal (=cost a lot of money): · Look at Frank's new Mercedes - it must have cost a fortune.it costs £10/$20/a lot etc to do something: · The Department of Education estimates that it will cost $17 billion to build the new schools.
spoken say how much to ask what the price or cost of something is: · That's a beautiful rug -- how much did you pay for it?· By the way, how much does it cost to use the swimming pool?
if something is £100, $1000 etc, that is how much it costs - use this especially when you are asking or replying to a question about the cost of something: · "I like your new shirt - how much was it?" "It was only fifteen pounds."· I can't remember how much the flight cost. I think it was around $400.
if something is done, sold etc at a cost of a particular amount, that is how much it costs - used especially in news reports: · Surveys are being conducted in 10 European States at a cost of £50 million.
if something that you buy sets you back a particular amount of money, usually a large amount, that is how much it costs, especially when you think that it is very expensive: set somebody back £200/$400 etc: · A good quality saxophone will set you back at least £1000.set somebody back: · If she's hoping to buy a new sportscar, it's going to really set her back!
if a product is priced at a particular price that is how much the person who makes or sells it has decided it should cost: · The book, which is priced at £38, will be available in the shops from September.· I watched a demonstration of their new cordless phone, priced at $350.
to cost a particular amount of money - use this especially when you think this is more than it is worth: sell for £400/$600 etc: · Clothes with designer labels sell for ridiculous prices nowadays.· Houses in this area are selling for over $400,000.go for £100/$250 etc: · Watches like that are going for about £15 in the market.go to somebody for £100/$250 etc: · The painting finally went to a private collector for $60 million.
if something fetches a particular price, it is sold for that price or someone receives that amount of money by selling it, especially at a public sale: fetch £40/$500 etc: · It's a very old car, but I'm still hoping it'll fetch around £200.· Van Gogh's "Sunflowers' was expected to fetch more than $20 million.
British spoken use this to ask what the total cost of something is, especially a job someone has already done for you or something you have already received: · "The mechanic's just about finished working on your car, sir." "Thanks, and what's the damage?"·
to make something happen later or take longer than it should to make something happen later than it should, or take longer than it should: · The President's visit had to be delayed because of security problems.· This latest terrorist attack is bound to delay the peace talks even further.delay by: · The plane's departure was delayed by mechanical problems.be delayed for 5 hours/2 months etc: · The opening of the new bridge may be delayed for several months.
to make something happen late, or make it happen more slowly than it should: hold up something: · Protesters held up work on the new road.be held up by something: · The peace talks are being held up by continued fighting on the border.hold somebody/something up: · They should have finished that job on Friday - what's holding them up?· Her stubbornness on this one issue is holding the whole deal up.
also put back British to delay the progress or development of something by a number of weeks, months etc: set somebody/something etc back: · Your mistake has set us back several weeks.· The Transportation Department first announced that the expressway would be completed by 2002, but it has since set the timetable back.set back somebody/something: · The start date kept being put back, for a variety of reasons.
informal if a person or planned piece of work gets bogged down , they are delayed and prevented from continuing because of complicated or difficult problems: get bogged down in: · The project got bogged down in a series of legal disputes.get bogged down by: · Keep the document simple and avoid getting bogged down by complicated formatting.
determined to do something if you are determined to do something, you have decided that you are definitely going to do it, and you will not let anything stop you: · There's no point in trying to stop her -- it'll only make her more determined.determined to do something: · I was determined to be a professional dancer, and practised for hours every day.· Both sides in the dispute seemed determined not to compromise.determined (that): · She was determined that her children should have the best possible education.
to be determined to do something, especially something important that will affect your whole life, even if other people think you should not do it: be set on (doing) something: · Nina seems to be set on marrying him.be dead set on something (=extremely determined to do something): · I didn't particularly want to go to Africa, but Bob was dead set on the idea.
if you set your mind on something, you decide that that is what you definitely want to do or have, especially something that you will have to work hard to achieve: set your mind on (doing) something: · Once Tammy's set her mind on something, she doesn't rest until she's done it.· She's set her mind on having a big posh wedding.
to be determined to do something, especially something that other people do not approve of or think you should do: · Michael left school at fifteen, intent on a career in showbusiness.be intent on (doing) something: · He's always seems intent on stirring up trouble among his colleagues.
determined not to change your opinion or decision, especially when other people are trying to persuade you to change it: · The man in the shop was adamant. "Definitely not," he said.adamant that: · Taylor was adamant that she was not going to quit.be adamant in your belief/refusal/own mind: · Nicolson was always adamant in his belief that his films did not encourage drug-taking.adamant about: · To this day, Matthews is adamant about his innocence.
in a way that shows that you are determined to do something: · She strode purposefully up to the door and rang the bell loudly.
formal to be determined to do something because you are sure that it is the right thing to do: be resolved to do something: · The new President is resolved to impose a number of reforms.be resolved that: · Our city authorities are resolved that the new school will be built within six months.
to be determined to do something and show other people that you are determined to do it, even if it involves harming someone: · And to prove we mean business, our members will stage a one-day strike next week.· Firm action would show both sides that the EU and the UN really meant business.
American informal to be very determined to get what you want, especially in business or politics: · Toymaker Mattel is getting ready to play hardball in an effort to persuade Hasbro to reconsider a merger.play hardball with: · The Deputy Prime Minister told reporters that Canada was ready to play hardball with the US.
refusing to stop trying to do something even though the situation is difficult or people are opposing you: · As a reporter, David was tougher and more tenacious than the other three.· He was the most tenacious politician in South Korea.
to be the thing that makes someone or something different to be the thing that makes someone or something different from other people or things: · What really distinguishes the proposal?distinguish from: · There's not a lot that distinguishes her from the other candidates.· What distinguishes this approach from previous attempts to deal with HIV?
if a quality sets someone or something apart , it makes you notice them because they are so different or unusual: · Such seriousness and ambition in a very young man set him apart.set sb/sth apart from: · The new software was a unique tool that set the Microsoft Network apart from other commercial online services.
when the sun goes down if the sun goes down or sets at the end of the day, it moves downwards in the sky until it cannot be seen: · We sat on the balcony and watched the sun go down.· The sun usually sets at about 6pm at this time of year.· The setting sun cast a deep red glow over the city's rosy stone.
if the sun sinks , it goes down slowly - used especially in descriptions or stories: · The sun sank and darkness fell on the island.· As the sun sank lower and lower, the sky first turned pink and then orange.
the time when the sun goes down or the way the sun looks when it goes down: · We sat and watched the glorious sunset from across the Mekong river.at sunset (=at the time when the sun is setting): · You may prefer to sit on the terrace sipping a cocktail at sunset.
to explain something to give someone the information they need to understand something: · It's not so complicated - let me explain.· We listened carefully while Pam explained the process.· Let me show you - it's too difficult to explain.explain something to somebody: · If you don't get the joke, I'll explain it to you later.· Could you explain the rules of the game to me, please?explain how/what/why etc: · Can you explain what the poem means?· The doctor explained how the clinic operates.
especially spoken to explain to someone how something works or how to do something: tell somebody how/what/why etc: · Can you tell me how to log on to the Internet?· The leaflet tells you what to do if you get malaria.
spoken to explain the reasons for something or give detailed information about something: · He didn't say where he was going or who he was going with.· Did Caroline say why she needed the tape recorder?
to explain to someone how to do something by doing it while they watch you: · "How do you change the speed of the drill?" "Let me show you."show somebody something: · I'll show you an easier way to get down from there.show somebody how to do something: · Can you show me how to use your camera?show somebody what to do: · If you show him what to do, I'm sure he'll do a good job.
to show someone how to do something by doing it while they watch you, especially when it is your job to show people how to do things: · The ski instructor began by demonstrating the correct way to turn.· If you still don't understand, Marcia will be happy to demonstrate.demonstrate how: · A trainer came in to demonstrate how the new computer system worked.
to explain all the details about something in the right order, to help someone understand it: · I'll go through the instructions once more in case you missed anything.· If you stay after class, I'll go through the theory with you again.
written to provide new information which makes something easier to understand, especially something which has been studied, but which is still not well understood: · These discoveries may shed light on the origins of the universe.· Scientists working in the Gobi desert have thrown new light on the life of dinosaurs.
to explain facts, arguments, reasons etc by stating them clearly and in a carefully planned order: set out something: · She set out the reasons for her resignation in a confidential letter to her boss.· The Republicans' goals for the year are clearly set out in the party platform.set something out: · The facts, as you have set them out, seem convincing enough.
to make something explode to make a bomb explode either deliberately or accidentally: set off something: · The group set off a bomb outside a crowded cafe in Izmir last September.set something off: · Police say radio signals were probably used to set the bomb off.
to make a bomb explode, especially by using special equipment. Detonate is a more technical word than set off: · Army experts detonated the bomb safely in a nearby field.· The 200 kg bomb was detonated by terrorists using a remote-control device.
British to deliberately make a bomb explode: · Terrorists let off a bomb in the city centre.· The bomb was let off shortly before 3 pm.
British /set off/shoot off American to make fireworks explode. A firework is a thing which explodes in the air and produces lots of noise or coloured lights, and is used in celebrations: · They're going to let off fireworks in the park.· A group of teenagers were in the parking lot shooting off fireworks.· Somebody set off a firecracker in the cafeteria.
to make something fashionable to make something that is new fashionable, by doing, using, or wearing it, so that a lot of people copy you: · Young backpackers set the trend, and now people of all ages are looking for cheap ways to travel around Southeast Asia.set the trend of: · To save the planet we must set the trend of caring for the environment.
to let someone leave prison to let someone leave prison: · McKay moved to Newcastle after being released from prison.· They released ten political prisoners last year.
to let someone leave a place where they are being kept by force: · The hostages were set free last night.· The Emancipation Proclamation, in 1863, set the American slaves free.
to let someone leave a place where they are being kept, especially a prison: · Lusani hopes to be let out early.let sb out of: · She was let out of prison to attend her daughter's funeral.
to allow someone to leave a place where they have been kept by force for a short time: · Due to a lack of evidence against the suspect, the police had to let the prisoner go.· I just kept praying that the man would let me go.
to allow someone who is a prisoner or being kept somewhere to be free: · Many of these young offenders should have been freed a long time ago.free from: · His supporters are demanding that he be freed from prison.free into: · The dolphins will be freed into the ocean once their injuries have healed.
to deliberately try to make someone seem guilty when they are not also fit up/stitch up British informal to deliberately make it seem that someone is guilty of a crime that they are not really guilty of: set up somebody: · He wasn't guilty of the fraud. He'd been set up by his business rivals.set somebody up: · Cahill has always protested his innocence, and insists that someone set him up.
to make someone seem guilty of a crime, especially by providing something that seems like proof: · That's not my handwriting and it's not my signature! I've been framed.· Healey agreed to defend two young men, who were being framed in a local murder case. frame for: · The accused told the court that the police tried to frame him for assault.
informal to say that someone is guilty of a crime or of doing something wrong, especially when this is not true: · The police pinned the murder on two men who were later proved to be innocent.· You're not going to pin it on me! I was a hundred miles away at the time.
to put something such as illegal drugs or stolen goods into someone's house or into their pocket, in order to make it seem that they are guilty of a crime: · The police found the stolen cameras in his flat, but he insisted they had been planted.plant something on somebody: · Someone planted the drugs on her before she left the country.
to become hard or make something hard · The glue needs about 24 hours to harden.· Steel is hardened by heating it to a very high temperature.harden into/to · Much of the mountain consists of volcanic ash, long since hardened to jagged rock.
if a liquid such as melted metal or wax solidifies , it becomes hard: · Tools are made by pouring liquid metal into a mould and allowing it to cool and solidify.· As the lava flowed down the volcano it solidified, forming strange shapes.
if a liquid substance sets , it becomes harder - use this to talk about something that slowly becomes harder after it is mixed with water, for example, food or building materials: · Put the jelly in the fridge for an hour to set.· The concrete will take several hours to set, so make sure no one walks on it.
if a liquid freezes , it becomes hard because it has become very cold: · The water in the lake used to freeze most winters, and then it was good for skating.be frozen solid: · Hey! The milk's frozen solid!
to make something stiffer and harder: · Point your toes and stiffen the muscles in your legs.· You can stiffen curtain fabric by using a special liquid solution.
to intend to do something if you intend to do something, you have decided that you want to do it at some time in the future: · I wasn't sure why he'd done it, but I intended to find out.· Most of these students intend to continue their education at university.· Her lawyers stated that they intended to call at least five witnesses.
especially spoken to intend to do something - use this especially when you forget to do something or did not have the chance to do it: · I've been meaning to phone Anne for ages.· I meant to tell you, but I forgot.· Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
especially spoken if you are going to do something, you have arranged to do it at a particular time - use this to talk about definite arrangements: · Ruth and Al are going to move to Seattle.· I'm going to go to the hospital tomorrow.· The committee is going to have several meetings to get student input.
to intend to do something - use this especially when you have thought carefully about when and how you will do something: · Josie's planning to return to work after she's had the baby.· We're planning to go on vacation in October.· The Board plans to release the report to the press on Sept. 11.
informal to intend to achieve something that you are sure you can achieve: · The company is looking to increase its sales in Europe during the next two years.· The Redskins will be looking to repeat their Super Bowl victory next season.
to decide to do something and make plans for how you will achieve it, especially in a very determined way: · He set out to make Newcastle the best football team in the country.· The new administration set out to develop a better immigration policy.
informal to intend to do something and be determined to succeed: · A young man from Norway is out to be the youngest person ever to finish the race.· Manchester United are out to win the European Cup this year.be out to get somebody (=to intend to do something that harms someone else): · Brock believes that Aaronson is out to ruin his reputation.
formal use this in public statements, news reports, meetings etc in order to tell people what someone intends to do: · It is our intention to become the number one distributor of health products in the UK.· It was never the department's intention to prevent teachers from trying out new ideas.
use this especially in legal contexts about someone who deliberately intends to do something bad: do something with intent to do something: · Kelly was accused of carrying a deadly weapon with intent to endanger life.· He is charged with using a false name with intent to commit fraud.
to leave at the start of a journey · I have to leave early tomorrow morning to fly to Detroit.· Her plane leaves Hong Kong at 10.00.· When are you leaving to go on holiday?· When we arrived at the bus station, the bus had just left.leave for · I'm leaving for Paris on Tuesday.leave from · Coaches leave from Victoria every hour.
especially spoken to leave: · Let's go!· The trip is all planned - we're going in September.· Do you know what time the next bus goes?· I've packed all my bags, and I'm ready to go.
especially British to leave somewhere and begin a journey: · If we set off early in the morning we should reach the coast before dark.set off for: · We set off for Brighton in good spirits.
British informal to leave and begin a journey: · I think we'd better be off now - it'll take at least an hour to get to the airport.be off to: · When are you off to Canada?
to leave - used especially in official information about times when trains, planes, buses etc leave: · The bus was due to depart at any moment.depart from: · The 12.15 shuttle service to Atlanta will depart from platform 16.depart for: · The 06:33 Pullman will depart from London Euston from platform 4.· The train departs Waterloo at 09:00 hours on Saturday.
if a plane takes off , it leaves the ground at the beginning of a flight: · Children spent hours watching the planes take off and land.· This is your Captain speaking. We are due to take off in five minutes.take off from: · Planes were unable to take off from Gatwick owing to high winds.
to quickly start driving a car away from somewhere: · Eddie ran out of the house, jumped into his car, and drove off.· Someone had smashed into her car, and then just driven off.· Adrian just had time to see his father jump into the truck and drive off in a cloud of dust.
if a train pulls out , it slowly gains speed as it leaves the station at the start of a journey: · We got there just as the train was pulling out.
to leave the port at the start of a journey by sea: · Thousands of people stood waving on the quay as the Titanic set sail.(set) sail for: · In November 1928, she set sail for India and arrived in Calcutta seven weeks later.(set) sail from: · It was a bitterly cold morning when we sailed from Dover.
to put a limit on something to stop a number or amount from becoming too large, or stop someone from doing whatever they want: · The new law limits the number of foreign cars that can be imported.· Men hold most of the top jobs, and this limits women's opportunities for promotion.limit somebody/something to something: · Let's limit our discussion to the facts in the report.limit yourself to something: · As you look for material to write about, don't limit yourself to other people's ideas.
to strictly control and limit the size, amount, or range of something: · The law would restrict the sale of handguns.restrict somebody/something to something: · This year's AIDS conference is restricted in size to fewer than 3,000 participants.restrict yourself to something: · McGregor has said he will voluntarily restrict himself to $2.2 million in campaign spending.
to control the size or amount of something, or to control an activity, by deciding what the limits of it will be: set/impose/put a limit on: · Governments should put strict limits on tobacco advertising.· The courts have imposed limits on school officials' power to dismiss teachers.set/impose a limit of something: · The president set a time limit of 6 months for the negotiations to produce an agreement.set/impose a limit: · Parents need to know when to set limits for their children's behavior.
if you keep to or keep within the limits of something, you make yourself stay within those limits: · We need to keep to the schedule if we're going to finish on time.· Keep within the speed limit and you should have no problems.
to keep something within the limits of a particular activity or subject, especially when it is difficult for you to do this: confine somebody/something to something: · Rebel troops have confined their attacks mainly to the southern part of the country.confine yourself to something: · The report confines itself to known and verifiable facts.
to decide on the limit of something, especially something that often changes, and make it stay the same for a long time: · Interest rates for savings accounts have been fixed at 7% for the rest of the year.· The project has finally been approved and the budget has been fixed.
when a liquid gets thicker if a liquid thickens or you thicken it, it becomes more solid and does not flow very easily: · When the sauce is just starting to thicken, pour it over the meat.· Now boil the mixture until it thickens.· As the temperature goes down, the oil in the engine gets thicker.
if a liquid sets , for example some types of food or plastics, it becomes solid or almost solid after a period of time: · Leave the jam in a cool place to set.· It's best to pour your yoghurt into small containers before it sets.· Has the glue set yet?
if blood clots , it becomes thicker and more solid: · Blood had clotted on the cuts on his back and on his arms.· Some types of snake venom prevent blood from clotting.
if a liquid congeals , it thickens and becomes unpleasantly sticky and almost solid as it becomes cooler: · Josie picked up a plate of congealed egg and beans, and scraped it into the bin.
to start to live in a place to start to live permanently in a country or city, after you have lived in several different places: settle in: · We lived in Thailand, then Singapore, and finally settled in Hong Kong.· The family settled in a small Nevada town where they opened a store.
to start to live in your own home for the first time, for example after getting married or leaving your parents' home: · They first set up house together in Atlanta and moved to Miami three years later.· He rarely left the Brooklyn apartment where he had set up house.set up house with: · Her parents were very upset when she set up house with her boyfriend.
formal to start to live in a country, city, or a building, especially in order to start working at a job: take up residence in: · He left the country in December to take up residence in Panama.take up residence at: · In 1953 Diem took up residence at a monastery in Belgium.
when you agree to get married if two people are engaged , they have agreed to get married to each other at some time in the future: · Todd and Ellen have been engaged for about 3 months now.engaged to: · He's engaged to Paul's sister.get engaged (=become engaged): · We got engaged at Christmas.engaged to be married: · You'll be glad to hear that Ralph and I, with my father's consent, are engaged to be married.
an agreement by two people to get married at some time in the future: announce your engagement (=tell everyone that you are going to get married): · Glennis and John announced their engagement yesterday.break off your engagement (=say that you do not want to be engaged any more): · Anita broke off her engagement when she found out that Paulo had been seeing another woman.engagement ring: · Has he bought you an engagement ring yet?
also fix/name the day to decide on the exact day for the official marriage ceremony: · Lizzie and George have finally fixed a day for their marriage.· Have the two of you set a date yet?
to write music to write a song or a piece of music: · I wrote the next song for my wife.· an opera written by Verdi· I sit at the piano when I write.
to write a piece of music, especially classical music: · Glass composed the music for Cocteau's movie.· a song composed by Schubert· The children will now play some pieces that they composed themselves.· Dario composes for a living.
to write music so that the words of a play, poem etc can be sung: · The Greek tragedy "Elektra" was set to music by Richard Strauss.· She sat at the piano for hours, putting one of her poems to music.
to prepare something so that it is ready to be used to prepare something such as a place, a machine, or piece of equipment for an event or activity that has been planned: · Before you start painting, prepare the walls by cleaning them and filling any cracks.· When they are not in the classroom, teachers spend much of their time preparing lessons.prepare something for something: · The Americans are preparing two new satellites for launch.· Maintenance staff are busy preparing the field for tomorrow's big game.
to make sure something is ready to be used: · I'll get the car ready.get sth ready for: · Try to get all your things ready for school the night before.· Her main job is to do general cleaning and get the rooms ready for guests.
to prepare the equipment that is needed for an activity, by putting them in the right places, putting different pieces together etc: set up something: · We've set up a microphone in the corner.· It was 6:30 and traders were already setting up their market stalls.set something up: · It'll take a few minutes to set the camera up.
to provide the necessary conditions for something to happen if an action or event sets the scene for another event, it provides the conditions in which that event can take place: set the scene for: · The negotiations in Geneva have set the scene for a possible agreement later in the year.· Recent events have set the scene for a potentially violent confrontation between the demonstrators and the army.
to provide the conditions that will make something much easier to achieve in the future: pave the way for: · These experiments may pave the way for a vaccine against some forms of cancer.· The Married Women's Property Act paved the way for further legislation on women's rights.
to provide the conditions that will make it possible for something successful to take place much later: lay the foundations for: · Long-term planning after the war laid the foundations for the nation's steady economic growth.lay the foundations of: · The two sides met in an attempt to lay the foundations of a future peace settlement.
to put something somewhere to move something to a place or position and leave it there: put something in/on/there etc: · Just put the bags on the table.· I can't remember where I put my keys.put something back (=put it in the place where it was before or where it should be): · I put the letter back in the envelope.put something away (=put it where it is usually kept): · It's time to put everything away now.put something down/put down something (=put something you are holding onto a surface): · She picked up a porcelain figurine and put it down again. put something up/put up something (=fasten something to a wall, ceiling, or in a high position): · I'm not allowed to put up any posters in my bedroom.
to carefully put something somewhere: place something on/in/over/there etc: · Every week someone comes and places fresh flowers on her grave.· Place some lemon slices on the fish before serving it.· Food is placed in a large cage, and when the animal enters, the door drops down.· Winters placed his hand on my arm, holding me back.
to put something in a place and not take it with you when you go: · Now, where did I leave my gym shoes?leave something in/on/on top of etc: · Just leave your umbrellas and things behind the door.· She had left all her personal belongings in the London apartment.leave something somewhere: · I'm sure I left my bag somewhere around here.
to put someone or something somewhere and never go back to get them, for example because you want to get rid of them or because you are unable to take them with you: · Retreating troops were told to abandon their weapons and run as fast as they could towards the beach.· A new-born baby was found abandoned on the steps of a hospital yesterday.
to carefully move something into the right position for a particular purpose: · Make sure you position the wheel correctly before you tighten up the nuts.· Federal troops were positioned around the city.
to put a bomb in a public place : plant something in/at/outside/nearby etc: · The two men planted the bomb outside Harrods department store in London.plant something in/on/there etc: · No rebel group has claimed responsibility for planting the explosives in the van.
to put something in someone's pocket, room, car etc in order to make them seem guilty of a crime: · It turned out the security services had planted the documents in his luggage.· He accused the police of planting evidence.
to put something on a surface, especially so that it is flat: lay something on/across something: · She unfolded the map and laid it on the table.lay something out/lay out something (=arrange something carefully on a surface): · Before you start packing, lay out all the clothes on the bed.lay something down/lay down something (=put something you are holding onto a surface): · Farley laid the gun down and surrendered.
to put down something big and heavy which you have been carrying - used especially in literature or stories: set something/it/them down: · They set the coffin down in front of the altar.set down something: · The movers brought in the dresser, which they set down against the wall.
to put something down - used especially when describing events in a formal or humorous way: · Aunt Augusta deposited the contents of her bag on the kitchen table.· After the lessons on the environment, children deposited much more litter in trash cans, rather than dropping it.
to make something correct · Teachers spend many hours correcting students' assignments.· It will take us some time to correct all the mistakes.· Is there any way of politely correcting someone's grammar?correct me if I'm wrong (=say this when you think what you are saying is right, but you are not sure) · Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't we met before?
a mark or note correcting something on a piece of written work: · My essay was covered in corrections in red ink.· Corrections should be pencilled into the margins.· My Spanish teacher will point out errors, but we have to make the corrections ourselves.
also put somebody straight British to tell someone the true facts when they have made a mistake, especially if you are annoyed by their mistake: · She quickly set me straight, saying that while she enjoys her job, she works mainly for the money.· Your friends are always ready to put you straight when you do something stupid.set sb straight about: · It's time to set people straight about why he was fired - he didn't act in a professional manner.
also put the record straight British to tell people the true facts about something, especially in public, because you want to make it very clear that what is believed is in fact not correct: · It's time we put the record straight. The newspapers are wrong -- this factory will not be closing down.· Paulson, wanting to set the record straight, called a press conference.
to save money to gradually collect money by not spending all the money you have, especially when you regularly put some of it in a bank: · I find it very difficult to save - I just spend everything I get.· How long did it take you to save all that money?· It's a low-paid job, but she still manages to save a few dollars each week.· She planned to work until she had saved enough money to attend nursing school in Nashville.save for (=save money in order to pay for something): · They've already started saving for their next vacation.
to save money in order to buy something or to do something: · If you want a new bike you'll have to start saving up.· She's saved up enough money to take a course in computer science.save up to do something: · Dave's been saving up for months to buy a new camera.save up for: · It took me ages to save up for those trainers.
to regularly save part of the money you earn, especially over a long period of time: set aside something: · We've all been setting aside a little money each month for a trip to Disneyland.set something aside: · If you want to build up a good pension fund, you should start setting aside a small part of your earnings now.
to try to save money by spending less on the things you need and by saving what you can, especially when you do not earn very much: · After years of scrimping and saving, we've finally got enough money to go on a foreign holiday.scrimp and save to do something: · My parents had to scrimp and save for years to send me to college.
to see someone or something · I saw your brother in town this morning.· Have you seen my pen anywhere?· If you see either of these men, inform the police immediately.· Did you see a white van parked out here earlier today?· When did you last see your dog?see somebody doing something · I saw Matt coming out of the cinema with Jane.· I first saw her feeding the ducks in the park.see somebody do something · She saw him get into a Porsche driven by a dark-haired woman.· I didn't see her arrive because I had my back turned.see who/what/where etc · It was too dark for her to see who the woman was.· Have you seen what Jake's done to his bedroom?can see somebody/something · Shh! I can see someone moving in the bushes.see something with your own eyes (=see something or someone yourself, especially something strange or surprising) · 'How do you know it's true?' 'Because I saw it with my own eyes!'
especially written to see someone or something for only a very short time, and not very clearly: · Rick caught sight of the driver's face as the car raced by.· Lynn caught a brief glimpse of herself in the mirror.
to suddenly see someone or something that you have been looking for, or something interesting or unusual: · A resident spotted a man sitting in his car watching the explosion and notified the police.· He was spotted in the Manhattan area in mid-May.· I spotted this article about it in the paper.
also clap eyes on British to see someone or something -- use this either when talking about the time when you first saw them, or when saying strongly that you have never seen them or never want to see them again: · This was the woman he was going to marry -- he knew it the moment he set eyes on her.· I'd never clapped eyes on the guy before in my life.· I hoped we would never set eyes on one another again.
to see something happen, especially an accident, a crime, or an important event: · Police are appealing for information from anyone who witnessed the attack.· The crash was witnessed by millions of viewers who were watching the race on TV.
especially written to suddenly see something or someone from a long distance, especially when you have been looking for a long time: · The missing boys were sighted by a rescue helicopter.· At least ten birds have been sighted feeding on the lake this year.· We sighted a fishing boat in the distance.
to be able to see someone or something clearly, even though you see them for only a very short time: get a good/proper look (at): · Hold it up to the light so I can get a proper look at it.· I don't think I could identify him. I didn't really get a good look.get a better look (at): · She stood on her toes to get a better look.get a close look (at): · I didn't get a close look at the driver, but I think he was middle-aged.· We drove into the prohibited zone, to get a closer look.
also see at first hand British if you see first hand something that is happening, you see it yourself, rather than being told about it by someone else: · Travelling in rural Thailand, I saw first hand the devastating effects of economic reform. · Central News has been to South America to see at first hand the lives that Oxfam hopes to improve.
to start a journey to start a long journey or start going somewhere, especially if your journey has been planned or has a special purpose: · What time do you have to set off in the morning?· We had meant to set out before lunch but nobody was ready to leave.set off/set out towards/along/in the direction of etc: · Packing herself a couple of sandwiches, she set off along the cliff path.· The weather had been fine on the morning that the climbers set out up the last part of the mountain.set off/set out for: · My mother was only twenty when she married my father and set off for Addis Ababa.set off/set out from: · The Royal Navy set out from Portsmouth on July 13th.set off/set out to do: · Columbus set out to discover America in the fifteenth century.
to start a journey to a particular place: · When are you starting for Seattle?· It was already dark by the time we started for home.
to start moving away from a place where you have been, especially if you are driving a car, riding a bicycle etc: · Before starting off you should check that your seat and mirrors are properly adjusted.start off along/towards/down etc: · The riders got back on their horses and started off along the track again.
informal to start a journey: · It's time we hit the road.· The group will be hitting the road again in the new year, in order to promote their new album.
informal to start a journey or start going somewhere, especially when you are late or when there has been a delay: · Let's get going now or we'll miss the train.· The coach was supposed to leave at 10:30 but we eventually got going at 3 o'clock.· Get going, you two! Didn't you hear the school bell?
to start a new business or organization to start a new business or organization: · Luigi's family came here in 1966 and started up a chain of restaurants.· John decided to start his own textile business shortly after the war.
to start a business that provides services to the public, such as a shop, restaurant, or hotel: · They just opened a new supermarket on Van Nuys Boulevard.· The rail company plans to open several new lines over the next five years.
to start a new business by making all the necessary arrangements, buying equipment etc: · Kate and her partner are setting up their own printing business.set up in business (=to start to run your own business): · The Enterprise Center runs courses for people who want to set up in business on their own.set up as: · Dad set up as a builder in 1990 and now he employs over twenty men.
to start an important organization that is intended to be permanent, or that continues for a very long time: · The company was established in 1899.· Most of the money will be used to establish local industries and mobilize the work-force.
to start an organization, school, hospital etc, especially by providing the money for it - use this especially about something that was started a long time ago: · Who originally founded the college?· The bank was founded 60 years ago in Munich.
formal the start of an organization, institution, or programme: · Within a few years of its inception, the charity was involved in aid projects all around the world.· Not long after their inception, the welfare programs were under attack.
to make something start happening to make something start happening: · The police have already started an investigation.· The referee couldn't start the game because there were fans on the field.· A 'safe neighbourhood' campaign has been started by local residents.
: launch an attack/appeal/inquiry etc to start a public or military activity, when there is a clear aim that you want to achieve: · Rebel forces launched an attack on the capital.· Police are launching a major murder inquiry.· The local hospital has launched a campaign to raise money for new X-ray equipment.
: open an investigation/inquiry to start an official process of gathering information about a particular problem, in order to find out what caused it or to find a solution: · Police have opened an investigation into the girl's disappearance.· The Football Association are to open an inquiry into recent crowd trouble.
formal to start something such as an official process or discussion about something important: · Peace talks have been initiated in an attempt to avert full scale war.· The couple plan to initiate legal proceedings against the police.
to make something happen, especially something serious, difficult, or important: · The murder sparked off a wave of protests in the city.· Recent freak weather conditions have sparked off renewed fears about the effects of global warming.
also set into motion American to start a process or series of events that will continue for a long time even if you take no further action: · A few months later the divorce procedure was set in motion.· The government had already set into motion a series of reforms.· Wait's actions had set in motion a chain of events that would eventually result in his dismissal.
informal to start a meeting, discussion, event etc by doing something in order to encourage other people to take part in it as well: · Mark stood up and asked the first question to get the ball rolling.· To start the ball rolling, the government was asked to contribute £50,000 to the new charity.
to make a process start by doing or arranging the first part of it, after which it will become easier: · Change is certainly needed and the new headteacher needs to get things moving quickly.· Once we got things moving, the deal went through very quickly.
spoken use this to say that you now want to start something that you have been planning: · Are you all packed and ready? Right, let's get this show on the road.· We're having another meeting next week, hopefully to really get this show on the road.
to start doing something · We can't start until Carol gets here.· I'm starting a new job next week.· Have you started that book yet? (=started reading it)start doing something · I've just started learning German.· It was getting dark so we started looking for a place to stay the night.start to do something · Halfway through the performance, she started to feel a little faint.· Outside, it was starting to rain.
to start doing something. Begin is more formal than start and is used especially in written English: · Once the children were quiet, the teacher began.· They began their holiday in Italy, and then went on to Greece.begin to do something: · More and more people are beginning to do their shopping on-line.· "What do you mean?" she said, beginning to laugh.begin doing something: · The audience suddenly began shouting and cheering.
to finally start doing something, especially work, after you have been avoiding doing it or after something has prevented you from doing it: · Come on Sam - it's time you got down to some homework.get down to to doing something: · When the summer comes, we must get down to painting the outside of the house.get down to business: · OK, can everyone take a seat now, and we'll get down to business.
to start a piece of work that will take a fairly long time: · The exam was almost over and I hadn't even started on question 3.· It was time to start on all those little jobs around the house that he'd been putting off.· We can't start on the building work until planning permission comes through.
to start a long and fairly difficult piece of work, especially in an energetic and determined way: · Philip set about the task with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm.· Why don't we set to work really early, and try to get it finished in one day?set about/set to work doing something: · If there is a serious problem, it's far better to admit it and set about tackling it.set to work to do something: · Workmen had already set to work to clear the fallen trees.set to work on something: · Once in power, the government set to work on major reforms to the tax system.
to start doing something after you have finished doing something else: · Martin marched into the shop and proceeded to hurl abuse at the girl behind the counter.· After listening carefully to my advice, she proceeded to do the exact opposite!
to start doing something after a delay or interruption that has stopped you giving it your full attention: · After lunch the children settled down to finish their science projects.settle down to to doing something: · It was two o'clock before I could finally settle down to writing the next chapter.
to suddenly start a long speech or story, especially if you are criticizing something or giving an entertaining description of something: · Annie arrived late and immediately launched into a lengthy description of the terrible traffic on the roads.· At that point the young man stood up and launched into a passionate party-political speech.
to start a large piece of work or an important activity, especially one that will be difficult or will take a long time: · In the 1950s China embarked on a massive program of industrialization and mechanization.· After leaving his office job, he embarked upon a highly successful writing career.
to gradually start to like, fear, expect etc something over a period of time: · Rowling's latest book is full of all the magic and excitement that her young readers have come to expect.· At first I thought he was a bit strange, but I grew to like and respect him over the years.· My teacher said that this wasn't the kind of work that she'd come to expect of me.
spoken informal to start doing something immediately, because you are in a hurry or there is a lot to do: · Come on! - get cracking. I want this whole house clean by the time I get back.· You'd better get cracking if you want to get to the airport by ten.
when something bad starts to happen to start happening - use this about unpleasant things like fires, wars, or diseases: · A fire broke out on the top floor of the building.· Late last night, fighting broke out between gangs of rival football fans.
when something unpleasant starts happening, such as a fire, war, or disease: · Thousands of people died as the result of this latest cholera outbreak.outbreak of: · There's been an outbreak of food poisoning at the hotel.· The system started to operate in late 1914, a few months after the outbreak of war in Europe.
if fighting, violence etc erupts , it starts very suddenly: · A fight over a game of cards had erupted in the corner of the bar.· Massive and often violent protests erupted across the country.· Gang violence can erupt for no apparent reason.
if something bad sets in , for example bad weather or an illness, it starts and seems likely to continue: · It looks as if the rain has set in for the day.· The doctors operated immediately to prevent any infection setting in.· Worldwide economic recession set in during the early 1980s.
when something starts a natural process · Investigators still aren't sure what started the fire.· It is thought that the avalanche was started by a small rock-fall on the higher slopes.· Adding acid to the test tube starts a chemical process which leads to the formation of crystals.
to start a natural process, especially one that will continue for a fairly long time - used especially in scientific contexts : · The process is activated by sunlight.· In certain rare circumstances, these vaccines could activate disease.
to start a natural process, usually accidentally and with the result that it is difficult to stop it: · In 1992, tidal waves set off by a strong earthquake killed around 2000 people.· The splitting of an atom sets off an explosive chain reaction.
to look good with something else · I'm not sure that those earrings will go with your dress.· That jacket will go really well with your blue skirt.· I love that pale blue wallpaper, but I don't think it would go with the carpet.
if two things go together , they look good when they are worn or seen with each other: · That jacket and skirt don't really go together.· It's funny but the yellow walls and the black floor actually go together quite well.
if something matches something else, or if two things match , they look good together because they are similar in colour or style: · She was wearing black high-heeled shoes that matched her skirt and jacket.· In the lounge everything matched; the curtains, the sofa, the carpet and the cushions.· I'm looking for a rug to match my bedroom curtains.handbag/hat/shoes to match (=that match): · For every outfit, Stephanie seemed to have a handbag and shoes to match.
matching pieces of clothing, furniture etc are similar to each other in colour or style and so look good together: · Emily was wearing a dark green skirt and matching blouse.· In the kitchen was a rustic oak table and six matching chairs.
formal if a piece of clothing or a colour complements something, it makes it look more attractive: · A simple string of pearls will complement any outfit.· Soft, creamy bed linen adds a luxurious touch and complements any colour scheme.· She looked beautiful -- the white silk of her blouse complemented her olive skin perfectly.
if one thing sets off another thing, it makes it look more attractive and noticeable, for example by being different in colour or style: set off something: · The brass rail sets off the wooden panelling very nicely.set something off: · It's a lovely dress, and a brightly coloured silk scarf will set it off perfectly.
if something blends in with the things around it, it looks good with them because it has a similar colour or pattern to theirs and does not look very different from them: · The colour's perfect for our bedroom - it should blend in very nicely.blend in with: · I'm looking for some pale green curtains that will blend in with the walls.· Choose plants that will blend in with the existing garden scheme.
to switch something on to make something start working, for example by pressing a button - use this about things that use electricity, for example lights, televisions, or computers: switch on something: · Will you switch on the television?· I switched on the radio to listen to the news.switch something on: · Do you mind if I switch the light on?· Exhaust fumes come into the car when I switch on the air conditioner.
to make something start working, for example by turning a tap or pressing a button - use this about things that use electricity, gas, or water: turn on something: · He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.· Use timers to turn on indoor lights while you are away.turn something on: · Do you want me to turn the lights on?
to make a light, radio etc start working: put the light/radio/TV/kettle etc on: · Eva put the kettle on to make a cup of coffee.· Put the light on, then we can see what we're doing.· It was so cold I put the heating back on.
also start up to make a car, engine, machine etc start working: · She started the car and backed slowly out of the garage.· Clean or replace the air filter before attempting to start the engine.
: get a car/engine/machine etc started/going to succeed in making a car etc start after having some difficulty: · I couldn't get my car started this morning.· He rebuilt the engine and finally got it going.· It took the repairman an hour to get the washing machine going again.
to do something to make a piece of equipment that warns you about something start: set off something: · Someone accidentally set off the fire alarm.· Smoke alarms can be set off by smoke from cigarettes, cooking, and fireplaces.set something off: · The alarm is so sensitive that the slightest movement will set it off.
to make a system start operating - use this especially in technical contexts: · The bomb's firing mechanism is activated by a time-clock.· The smoke activated the sprinkler system.
to make a clock, toy, or other machine that does not have a power supply start moving: · Mr Carey wound up the old clock and gently set the pendulum going.· She pulled the lever that set the pump going and waited for the water.
to press a button which makes a machine start: · What happens when you press this button?· Somebody pushed the alarm button.
to pull a large control that switches on the electricity supply to something: · The Speaker of the House threw the switch for the Christmas tree lights in front of the Capitol building.
to give students a test or exam to make someone do a test: · Schools are required to give students national standardized tests.give sb a test on: · The French teacher gave us a test on irregular verbs, and I got 100%.
to ask someone written or spoken questions to find out what they know about a subject: · New students are tested in math and reading, and placed in the appropriate class.test somebody on something: · Tomorrow you'll be tested on the main events of the Civil War.
British to choose the questions that are in a test or exam: · Next lesson I'm setting you all a test to see how much you've learned.· Whoever set the exam didn't seem to know the material very well.
formal to ask someone questions in an exam in order to find out what they know about a particular subject: · To save time, students will be examined in groups of three.examine somebody on something: · Students will be examined on all aspects of Russian literature and history.
to trick someone and make them believe something that is not true to make someone believe something that is not true, in order to get something from them or make them do something: · I realized then that I had been tricked, but it was too late.· I'm not trying to trick you - just answer the question.trick somebody into doing something: · The old man's sons had tricked him into signing the papers.trick somebody out of something (=take something from someone by tricking them): · A man posing as an insurance agent tricked her out of thousands of dollars.
informal to trick someone: · He was trying to con me, and I knew it.con somebody into doing something: · They conned the school district into buying the property.con somebody out of something (=take something from someone by tricking them): · She conned me out of $50.
especially written to make someone who trusts you believe something that is not true because it is useful for you if they believe it: · This was a deliberate attempt to deceive the public.· Many children's lies are unplanned and not actually designed to deceive.· All through the summer Paula was deceiving her husband while she was seeing another man.deceive somebody into doing something: · Thousands of home buyers were deceived into buying homes at inflated prices.deceive yourself: · If you think that everyone is happy with the plan, you're deceiving yourself.
to make someone believe something that is not true by using a clever but simple trick: · His hairpiece doesn't fool anyone.fool somebody into doing something: · They managed to fool the police into thinking they had left the country.have somebody fooled: · The brothers' act had us all fooled.you can't fool me spoken: · You can't fool me - I know he's already given you the money.fool yourself: · Maybe I was just fooling myself, but I really thought he liked me.
to make people believe something that is not true, by deliberately not giving them all the facts, or by saying something that is only partly true: · The report is a deliberate and obvious attempt to mislead.· They were accused of misleading customers about the nutritional value of their product.mislead somebody into doing something: · Agents are accused of misleading clients into signing up for savings plans that were actually insurance policies.
to trick someone into doing something that they will be punished for or embarrassed by: · He said, following his arrest last fall, that the FBI had set him up.· Terry and Donald think I set them up, but it's all a big misunderstanding.
informal to deceive someone, especially someone who is cleverer than you are, or someone who is not easily deceived: · That's the last time he puts one over on me!· Lawyers claim that the tobacco industry, by failing to tell everything it knew about smoking, was putting one over on its customers.
informal to deceive someone, usually by hiding some facts or information: · Don't try and pull the wool over my eyes - I can tell you've been smoking.· The politicians are just trying to pull the wool over voters' eyes again.
to make someone believe you and trust you, especially by making them think you are romantically interested in them: · I can't tell if he really cares about me or if he's just leading me on?· I didn't mean to lead Cassie on, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings either.
informal to deceive someone, especially so that you can get their money: · I'd already given him £50 when I realized he was taking me for a ride.· After the deal was signed, I felt like I'd been taken for a ride.
to cheat someone you pretended to be helping or working with, especially by helping their enemies: · I'm warning you - if you double-cross me, I'll kill you.· Harry and Danny double-crossed the gang and escaped with all the money.
informal to trick or deceive someone, especially so that they become involved in someone else's dishonest activity without realizing it: · The spies duped government and military officials alike.dupe somebody into doing something: · The perpetrators of the hoax managed to dupe respectable journalists into printing their story.
to want something very much and be determined to get it to decide that you want something that will be hard for you to get, and to make a very determined effort to achieve it: · Now she's set her sights on the manager's job, nothing will stop her.· Quite consciously, I set my sights on the best-looking boy in the whole school.
to want something so much that you will be very disappointed if you cannot have it or get it: · We've set our hearts on this little house in the country.set your heart on doing something: · I had set my heart on becoming a pilot.
making you realize that something bad could happen: warn somebody (that) · Something warned Lucy that she must stop him.· The bleached bones of cattle warn the traveler how hot it can be in Death Valley.warn of · Dark clouds warned of the approaching storm.
if an event or fact is a warning , it shows that something bad could happen or is going to happen: · The story of the Titanic is a warning to anyone who trusts too much in their technology.· The only warning was a low rumbling sound.be a warning of: · Pain in the shoulder and arm can be a warning of a heart attack.
if something sets (the) alarm bells ringing it makes you realize that something seriously wrong or very dangerous is happening: · There were no lights on when I got home. That immediately set alarm bells ringing.· A brief study of the company's accounts set the alarm bells ringing -- there was no trace of the $56 million loan.
making you think that something bad has happened or is likely to happen soon: · Another wave crashed onto the deck and the mast made an ominous creaking sound.· Katy answered the phone. There was an ominous silence.something sounds ominous: · My manager asked for an appointment at nine o'clock on a Monday morning: it sounded ominous.
intended to or likely to warn you that something bad will happen if you continue to do something or do not do something: · Aunt Lou shot a warning glance at father just as he was about to speak.· He grabbed her pistol and fired a warning shot. The intruder ran back out into the hall. · From the trees there came a warning screech and the whole flock took to the air.
: cautionary tale/note something that provides a warning of something bad that could happen or a warning against particular actions or behaviour: · The rise and fall of this company is a cautionary tale for anyone investing in the property market.· The director ended her speech on a cautionary note, when she said that next year would be even harder than this year.
to give someone work to do if you give someone a job, some work etc, you offer them the job, work etc, or ask them to do it for you: give somebody something: · I asked Joel's teacher if we should give him some Level 4 work.· We were given some grammar assignments for homework.give something to somebody: · Angie did a really good interview, but they gave the job to someone with more experience.give somebody something to do/give something to somebody to do: · What can I give Helen to do? She's finished the filing.· OK, you open the parcels. That'll give you something to do.· 'Have you peeled the carrots?' 'No, I gave them to Dad to do.'
formal to give a particular job to a particular person: be assigned something: · You have been assigned the task of keeping the records up to date.· After her promotion took effect, she was assigned a research job.be assigned to somebody: · The job of producing a development program was assigned to the junior minister.· He was asked to assign two of his employees to the inventory control department.
especially British if a teacher or employer sets you a piece of work, they give it to you to do, and you must finish it by a particular time or date: set homework/a task/work etc: · Mr Harris always sets a lot of homework.· Is that all -- or has she set some other task for you as well?· Anneka was set the huge task by Christian Aid on behalf of a family who fled from war-torn Mozambique.set somebody something: · She set us some work to do in groups.· At the end of the session, they were set a homework task.
to appoint someone to do a piece of work for you, for example to write a report or to produce some artistic or scientific work: · The Philadelphia Medical Society commissioned a report on alcoholism.be commissioned for/by/from etc: · His 'Landscapes' Symphony was commissioned for the inaugural concert of the Shepherd School.· Seventy-five percent of Americans think that women are more sensual than men, according to a survey commissioned by Revlon.· The Left-Hand Piano Concerto was the first of several works commissioned from distinguished composers.commission somebody to do something: · In 1506, Bramante was commissioned by Pope Julius II to rebuild St Peter's church.· The gallery is housed in the new wing, which he commissioned Adams to build 18 years ago.
also lumber somebody with British informal to give someone an unpleasant or difficult job to do: be/get saddled with something: · Campaign adviser Ken Polaski has been saddled with the job of explaining the recent presidential gaffes.· 'I'm sorry you've been lumbered with running me back home,' said Ashley stiffly.saddle something with something: · The Hong Kong Rugby Union has saddled Simpkin with the post of national coach to the ailing team.
to make someone feel less worried to make someone feel less worried, especially by saying something to comfort them: · I tried to reassure her by saying that the police would arrive soon.· 'No one can ever take your spirit away from you,' my mother reassured me.reassure that: · The company has reassured its workers that there will be no job losses this year.· She returned to her motel, reassured by the nurses that her husband would be quite all right.
also set/put somebody's mind at ease to make someone feel less worried, especially by giving them information that shows they do not need to worry: · The doctor set my mind at rest by explaining exactly what effect the drug would have on me.· Just to put your mind at ease, we will get a second opinion from a cardiac specialist.
informal to tell someone something that they have been waiting anxiously to find out: · Come on Robyn, put me out of my misery. Who won?· Eventually, we put him out of his misery and told him he'd passed.
WORD SETSaccessory, nounalter, verbappliqué, nounarmband, nounarmhole, nounbag, nounbejewelled, adjectivebillfold, nounboater, nounbow, nounbowler, nounbow tie, nounbraid, nounbraid, verbbreast-pocket, nounbrim, nounbum bag, nounbust, nounbutton, nounbutton-down, adjectivebuttonhole, nouncape, nounchecked, adjectivecivvies, nounclasp, nouncleat, nounclingy, adjectiveclothes brush, nounclothes hanger, nounclutch bag, nouncoat check, nouncoat hanger, nouncoatroom, nouncobbler, nouncockade, nouncocktail dress, nouncodpiece, nouncollar, nouncollar stud, nouncolour-coordinated, adjectivecolourfast, adjectivecorsage, nouncostume, nouncoveralls, nouncravat, nouncrinkly, adjectivecut, noundark glasses, noundarn, verbdarn, noundart, noundécolletage, noundetailing, noundiadem, noundiaphanous, adjectivedishevelled, adjectivedowdy, adjectivedown-at-heel, adjectivedress, noundress, verbdressed, adjectivedressmaker, noundress sense, noundressy, adjectiveepaulette, nounfacing, nounfancy dress, nounfinery, nounfleecy, adjectivefop, noungarb, noungather, verbgingham, noungold-rimmed, adjectivegranny, adjectivegroom, verbhabit, nounhandbag, nounherringbone, nounknit, verbknitwear, nounline, verblined, adjectiveliner, nounlingerie, nounlining, nounlivery, nounlocker room, nounmade-to-measure, adjectivemade-to-order, adjectivemakeover, nounmodel, nounmodel, verbmodelling, nounmohair, nounname tag, nounnatty, adjectiveneckline, nounout, adverbpack, nounparasol, nounpinstripe, nounplaid, nounpleat, nounpleated, adjectiveplume, nounplumed, adjectiveplunging neckline, nounpocket, nounpocketbook, nounpocket handkerchief, nounpolka dot, nounpompom, nounpopper, nounpouch, nounpower dressing, nounpress, verbproof, verbpurse, nounraffish, adjectiveragged, adjectiverail, nounretro, adjectivesalon, nounsensible, adjectivesequin, nounset, verbshoeshine, nounshoulder bag, nounshoulder pad, nounshoulder strap, nounsingle-breasted, adjectivesize, nounsleeve, nounsleeveless, adjectivesling, nounsmocking, nounsoigné, adjectivespangle, nounsportswear, nounstarch, verbstitch, nounstud, nounstudded, adjectivetack, verbtail, nountailor, nountailored, adjectivetailoring, nountapered, adjectivetartan, nountatters, nounthread, nounthread, verbtie-dye, verbtie-pin, nountoe, nountoecap, nountoggle, nountongue, nountoupée, nountrainer, nountrimmings, nountrouser press, nounturn-up, nountweedy, adjectiveunbecoming, adjectiveundress, noununmentionables, nounvalet, nounwallet, nounwear, verbwearer, nounweatherproof, adjectivewell-dressed, adjectivewell-groomed, adjectivewristband, nounzip, nounzipper, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 5nouns
The factory had been set ablaze (=made to burn). One of the boats had been set afire. The car was set alight and pushed over a hill. I’ve been setting aside a few pounds each week. One of the rooms was set aside for a yoga class. Try to set aside a few hours a week for exercise. a boxed set of CDs The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars. The dial on the heater was set to ‘HOT’. Someone set off the fire alarm. Jeff and David were in the back yard setting off fireworks. They have called on the government to set all political prisoners free. If you want old-world tradition in an idyllic setting, this is the hotel for you. The collection has been moved from its intimate setting to the British Museum. Once the house had been sold, Jane set the wheels in motion (=started the process) to find somewhere smaller to live. Why don’t you order an extra set of prints? The police have set up roadblocks to try and catch the two men. Tom and I had a bit of a set-to last night. ‘Hamlet’ is a set text (=one that must be studied for an examination) this year. British English The only way to catch mice is to set a trap. Police had set a trap for hooligans at the match. a new TV set The commission has set up a special working group to look at the problem. He set a new world record for the marathon.
(=behave well in a way that other people can copy)· Parents should try to set a good example to their teenagers.
(=do something that later actions or decisions may be based on)· This legislation would set a most dangerous precedent.
(=do something in a way that is later repeated)· That first day seemed to set the pattern for the following weeks.
(=establish a general mood or feeling)· The gloomy first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the novel.
(=be very good, and so show how good other people or things should be)· They wanted to set the standard for software.
(=establish what subjects should be discussed)· We are not attempting to set the agenda for other women’s groups.
(=move or change quickly, so that others try to do the same)· With regard to industrialization, Britain set the pace in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Meaning 7nouns· No date has been set for the election.
· We set the price at £30.
(=decide on standards, rules etc)· The government has set new food quality standards for all school canteens.
· Set strict limits on your spending.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The factory had been set ablaze (=made to burn). One of the boats had been set afire. (=decide on the problems you want to deal with)· The new government set an agenda for constitutional reform.
· Is there a set of guidelines setting out the aims of study?
· The organization has a set of aims which are listed on its website.
(=make it start ringing)· A window blew open, setting off the alarm.
(=make it ready to operate)· Did you set the burglar alarm?
The car was set alight and pushed over a hill. I’ve been setting aside a few pounds each week. One of the rooms was set aside for a yoga class. Try to set aside a few hours a week for exercise. (=say how much someone must pay to be allowed to stay out of prison)· Judge Philip Moscone set bail at $2 million.
(also detonate a bomb formal) (=make a bomb explode)· The area was cleared and the police safely detonated the bomb.
a boxed set of CDs· The bank gave me a loan to help me set up in business.
· When you’re starting a business, you have to work longer hours.
(=make a camera ready to use)· The team set up their cameras some distance from the animals.
(=put up your tents and arrange the camping place)· The soldiers set up camp outside the city.
The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars. (=a complete group of the different chess pieces)· She gave him a beautifully carved wooden chess set.
· This was a very unusual set of circumstances.
(=make it say the right time)· Don’t forget to set your clocks to summer time.
· The accident happened because of a string of unfortunate coincidences.
· They set up a commission to investigate the problem of youth crime.
· The council appointed a special committee to study the issue.
· Two years later he started his own software company.
(=adjust it so that the needle and the north mark are in line with each other)· Wait until the needle settles, then set the compass.
(=say what someone must agree to)· They laid down certain conditions before agreeing to the ceasefire.
(=consider something in context)· The issue must be placed within its historical context.
· In the East you will have to learn a different set of conventions.
· A National Radio and Television Council was established to regulate the market.
· Doctors use an established set of criteria for making a diagnosis.
· a set of beautiful blue coffee cups
(=one group of data)· The three sets of data produced strikingly different results.
(=decide the date when something will happen)· They haven’t set a date for the election yet.
(=completely disapprove of or disagree with something)· I’d like to be an actress but Mum and Dad are dead set against it.
(=be determined to do something)· At the moment, Steve’s just dead set on winning the gold medal.
(=decide on a date when something must be finished)· The deadline has been set at January 31st.
(=be written down and described in detail)· The changes to the system are set out in detail in the next paragraph.
The dial on the heater was set to ‘HOT’. (=show by your own behaviour how other people should behave)· You should be setting an example for your little brother.
(also embark on an expedition formal) (=leave at the start of an expedition)· Trent set off on an expedition to collect plants with fellow botanical students.
(=cause an explosion)· Investigators believe a fuel leak may have triggered the explosion.
(=far back in someone’s face)· Mac’s eyebrows were thick and dark, above deep-set eyes.
(=close together)· He had a small nose and close-set eyes.
(=wide apart)· Claudette studied the wide-set eyes that looked so innocent.
(=a fee that is the same in every case)· You pay a flat fee for all the services that are provided.
(=make something start burning)· A candle fell over, setting fire to the curtains.
Someone set off the fire alarm. Jeff and David were in the back yard setting off fireworks. They have called on the government to set all political prisoners free.· They have set up a fund to build a memorial to all those who died.
(=decide what you or someone else should try to achieve)· It helps if you set yourself clear goals.
If you want old-world tradition in an idyllic setting, this is the hotel for you. (=start it)· Police launched an inquiry yesterday after a man was killed by a patrol car.
The collection has been moved from its intimate setting to the British Museum. (also embark on a journey formal) (=start a long journey)· Before setting off on a journey, look at maps and guidebooks.
(=a group of keys kept together)· He took out a huge bunch of keys and unlocked the door.
(also impose a limit formal)· Set a time limit for the completion of the task.
(=let something go free) Don’t let your dog loose on the beach.
Don’t let your dog loose on the beach. (=make them a particular size)· Set the margins to have one inch on each side.
(=when the cook decides which dishes will be served to you, rather than you choosing for yourself)· Dinner is three courses from a set menu.
(=goes down so that you cannot see it)· The moon had set, but the sky was clear.
Once the house had been sold, Jane set the wheels in motion (=started the process) to find somewhere smaller to live. (=decide what you are trying to achieve)· Pupils should be encouraged to set their own objectives.
(=starts)· Before panic could set in, she realised that the clock was fast.
(=one that does not change)· These incidents followed a set pattern.
(=that will not be changed)· A tourist visa allows you to stay for a fixed period.
· The decision is important as it could set a legal precedent for other similar cases.
Why don’t you order an extra set of prints?· Marriage isn’t very high on my list of priorities.
(=decide what the priorities are)· With any new project, it's important to set priorities.
(=organize it)· $30 million would be required to set up the project.
(=invent a question for a test)· He used to set the questions for a TV quiz show.
(=say how much it is)· They have the right to set fishing quotas.
(=achieve it for the first time)· The twenty-year-old set a new British record of 44.47 secs.
The police have set up roadblocks to try and catch the two men. British English (=a situation started to get worse) It was after he left the company that the rot set in.
It was after he left the company that the rot set in. Tom and I had a bit of a set-to last night. (=when someone washes your hair and then dries it so that it has a particular style, especially using curlers)
· The government sets standards that all hospitals must reach.
(=disappears at the end of the day)· It is a good place to sit and watch the sun go down.
(=the sun as it appears/disappears)· The fields were ablaze with light from the setting sun.
(=put knives, forks etc on a table before a meal)· The table was set for fourteen.
· The company has set ambitious business targets.
· I was given the task of writing the chairman's speech.
‘Hamlet’ is a set text (=one that must be studied for an examination) this year. British English The only way to catch mice is to set a trap. Police had set a trap for hooligans at the match. a new TV set· The young have a completely different set of values.
(=make it show the correct time)· I set my watch by the clock on the mantelpiece.
(=start work)· They set to work cutting down trees and brushwood.
The commission has set up a special working group to look at the problem. He set a new world record for the marathon.· The government intends to set up an enterprise zone in the region.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Eagerly I set about to free it from its rubble prison.· Police then evacuated the basement mailroom while they set about disarming the device.· Because of this discomfort he set about developing an air-cushioned sole with his engineer friend Herbert Funck.· Amelia, her finances considerably reduced, saw an opportunity and set about getting her Kinner.· But we don't know how to set about it.· Taylor set about designing one for Midvale.· They set about spreading their memories of the books.· When Physioc refused to sell his property, the government condemned it and set about to take it under eminent domain laws.
· He found that 600 cartons had been set aside ready for him.· Drain Brussels sprouts and set aside to cool.· Four aides-de-camp were appointed and apartments in the Tuileries were set aside for bedroom, study and play room.· Remove leeks and oysters from skillet and set aside.· Although a lot of space may not be available, a small area set aside for dining is always useful.· Set aside for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature to give the flavors time to blend.· Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
· At Hilton, Bollenbach appears to be setting down some roots.· But the local charters at least set down these requirements publicly and unequivocally for the patient.· The events that followed, as set down by the Great Farini himself, formed the perfect melodrama.· Pepita set down among the crates to wait for her friend and the rum to reach her.· This caution will lead the writer to limit the number of questions set down in some realistic way.· But, set down in the Globe, the production is simply visiting exotica.· The time for serving a hearsay notice set by Ord 38, r21 is 21 days from setting down.
· The norms of domestic life it set forth drew a clear ideological boundary between rational members of society and the feckless.· Thy to understand which of the dimensions of performance set forth in the chart on page 90 are most critical.· The goals and activities in this plan are consistent with the goals set forth in recently proposed plans for health care reform.· After a sleepless night Stavrogin sets forth.· The following table sets forth the information for each series of Notes to which the offers apply.· So on this occasion when the priest set forth this ancient cry, it was as if a sleeping volcano erupted.· Taylor set forth his Scientific Management theories at the turn of the century.
· When hungry times set in, the scouts become less fastidious and give lengthy dances even for poor food.· Disillusionment sets in, of course, and back he comes.· In particular, unsteadiness may set in at much lower Ra than it would in their absence.· But reality soon set in, both for the car makers and the government.· But these days a general amnesia has set in, and it is almost impossible to meet anyone who believed in apartheid.· The tide was setting in and the thing came nearer and nearer until she knew it was a dead body.· And once decline has set in, it is hard to reverse.· After every failure there is a good chance that depression will set in.
· But presently the crowd loosened into smaller groups and a good many people went off into the village or set off for outlying farms.· Then the gate creaked, setting off a drumroll in his heart.· Tying pillows to their heads with towels to protect themselves from the larger falling lumps, they set off.· Since we had to be on the ship by nightfall, we set off from there in the gray chilly afternoon.· I set off, threw myself to the ground and proceeded to roll three times.· Investigators said they received information that Berry set off the bomb himself.· Social security benefits will be set off against your loss; the relevant rules are contained in detailed regulations.· In addition, a wintry spell before the Cesarewitch was prompting our runners to start donning their winter coats before they set off.
· Neither can the Six be said to have achieved all that they set out to do.· Mirdza is busy supervising the setting out of desserts and slicing a beautifully decorated mocha and almond torte.· Its founders were clinging to the wreckage, not setting out on a brave new voyage.· Mr McCoo would be mixing clay and setting out the watercolor cases.· My dybbuk set out to drive me crazy, and she damned near did.· I never set out to be the biggest.· The facts are set out in the judgment.· Technical limitations are those that affect our ability to do what we set out to do.
· The family are setting up a charity trust to help other people facing similar difficulties.· Zeus then sets up the kidnapping.· Jennifer set up the Rummoli mat and divided up the colored poker chips while Bryan shuffled the cards.· He set up a powerful board of directors to represent a cross section of business, political and public sector interests.· The term is used to describe grace periods that often go into effect when new geographic area codes are set up.· We will have to arrange for advance publicity, set up an office and make arrangements to show prospective buyers around.
NOUN· Both men believe they are best-placed to set the agenda for Langbaurgh in the Nineties.· Brown successfully set the agenda in 1993 with an innovative summit on the economy held early in the year in Los Angeles.· For the first time since he became leader, he is in the position to set the political agenda.· Braun promptly had a meeting with his players and set the agenda.· In other words, governments, which formally at least set the political agenda, have relatively limited lifespans.· Where business barged in and tried to set the agenda and the schools participated on a begrudging basis, problems inevitably arose.· It can also help to set the debate agenda if it is strategically planned.· Since then, the middle class has set the political agenda and put the old-style politicians and generals on the defensive.
· After finishing his apprenticeship he set up a business with this uncle, but it failed.· In setting up your own business, you quickly discover the importance of that famous litany: location, location, location.· It will also have learned a few lessons in how not to go about setting up a business.· The rates will be set on the fifth business day of each month.· Advice and guidance is provided in setting up the business and thereafter should any problems arise.· We are particularly looking for entrepreneurs who can set up and develop businesses, thus creating employment in the area.· Soon he sets up a little business, Walter's Christmas Store.
· In June 1880, the prime minister set up a special commission to look into the park proposal.· In January 1877, Congress set up an electoral commission to decide the dispute.· The government met in emergency session on May 22 and agreed to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the assassination.· They could have published a White Paper or set up a commission of inquiry.· The two agreed to set up a joint commission examining the issue.· But he said the union was concerned at the delay in setting up a Staff Commission.
· The Minister's response was to set up a coordinating committee of the nationalised fuel industry chairmen.· The Democrats set up a committee to fire them and bring in Democrats, and Daley took part in the gleeful task.· Jigawa, Kebbi, Yobe and Sokoto states have also set up committees to study the feasibility of sharia.· One of its first actions on taking power in March was to set up a committee to review the project.· Having spent the past two or three years setting up their committees, they are reluctant to unravel them now.· Some companies, such as Universal, have set up lyric committees to prevent the release of offensive material.
· The administration has 30 days to set a date for talks.· We set a date for the following May and started making plans.· Once the revised time schedule is established, the proposal writer should set his dates of completion for each task.· Thompson refused to set a projected end date for the inquiry or an opening date for any hearings.· A round table might set an early date for new parliamentary elections.· Once the Bartley team concurred, Christoffers telephoned to set a date for the copying.
· He may have been off colour in the World Cup, but he had set a fine example to others.· The best way is to set a good example.· They set a marvellous example indeed.· He was a veteran who would set an example for the youngsters.· This is because the greatest melody-writers belong to past epochs and set an example which modern composers can hardly match.· He can set an example, just like I can, about what it means to be a professional player.· Educating young people to drink responsibly and in moderation is best achieved by parents setting a good example.· The government itself set an example last week by reducing its official work week from 38 to 36 hours.
· Tommy set fire to some of Donald's hair by mistake.· He was beaten, set on fire, and cast into the River Enns with a rock tied to him.· They said we might set fire to it.· I won't murder you tonight, unless perhaps I set the house on fire.· She was set on fire by a shell exploding among the cotton with which her engines were protected.· What a joke-a Gypsy setting fire to the forest.· Then they set the church on fire and gunned down those who tried to escape.
· Instead, the government and insurers agreed to set up a special fund.· In 1985, the Army set up a college fund with a four-year value of $ 25, 200, Vollrath said.· So they set up this fund to compensate victims in serious cases of abuse.· A company sets up a trust fund into which it contributes new shares of stock or money to buy existing shares.· The money would be used to set up endowment funds for individual universities.· The proposition sets aside funds to expand research into which health services and procedures are effective.· But as yet it has not approved a timetable or set aside funds for construction.· Simpson has set up pension funds through his own companies worth $ 4. 1 million.
· But Francis has replied by setting himself a new goal - carrying on past 40.· When I set a goal, I stick to it.· Many people who try to set themselves goals and call them objectives think they have failed when they don't reach them.· We would never make the Diamond level because we had not set that goal for ourselves.· At first the investment required seems finite and a goal can be set.· But Mrs Harris said I must set a goal for myself.· Sam Reed scored twice and then set up the third goal for Tom Cox.· It helped low-income and underachieving high school students set career and academic goals and work to attain them.
· On the back of this publicity, a range of young artists arose, set to conquer our hearts and minds.· He was not a man to give way easily and he had clearly set his heart on making her recognise her father.· Thoughts of the night that had just passed set her heart pounding and the blood rushing to her face.· It fell with a crash which rattled her composure and set her heart thudding.· The desire to reform, to set the human heart in harmony with principles of virtue produced moral plays.· So now, after all, there was something she had set her heart on.· The thought of running to catch a bus may be enough to set your heart racing.
· So, too, does some guess about where the government may set a capping limit.· That program sets limits on campaign expenditures while supplying taxpayer money as matching funds to candidates.· It is vital that you set limits for the amount of money that you will deposit with each bank.· They spoil him by not setting limits.· The system manager should be able to set limits on disk space allocation and printer usage for each user of the system.· The Cabinet is set to impose strict limits on public sector pay.· They may be quite empathetic, but not very disciplined about setting limits or giving their children structure.
· A study by military experts was immediately set in motion.· In any case, an irresponsible control program has been set in motion without sufficient information as to its future effects.· Oliver corrected the clock and set it in motion.· Corot set the countryside in motion.· George I set in motion the preparation of the Royal Charter for his new bank.· But once set in motion, the enormous machinery of a traditional wedding had a life of its own.· It was decided to set in motion negotiations to form a Neighbourhood Watch in the Belmont Road area.· None the less, the reversal that was set in motion reverberated powerfully on both sides of the thirty-eighth parallel.
· Obviously they need to be countered and an objective must be set.· The first step in project management is to set a measurable objective.· If you set unobtainable objectives you will be seen to have failed even if you do a wonderful job.· The board annually will set performance objectives for the superintendent and he will receive bonuses based on how many he meets.· Assessing community care needs in their localities, setting objectives and priorities and formulating community care plans. 2.· First we identify our target and set a measurable objective that states from where to where by when.· They do not set themselves objectives to achieve.· Shaper: pushes the team towards action, sets objectives and looks for outcomes; dominant, extrovert and anxious.
· Or is it your children who are setting the ecological pace?· He or she controls the room and sets the pace.· Zeta's Lad set the pace.· He blamed me for setting too fast a pace.· This should result in fundholders setting the pace and others benefiting.· Pharmaceutical companies were the top-performing stocks in 1995 and set the pace today.· Horak forged ahead on his own but set too fast a pace and died at Elmbridge.· Your rhythm should set the pace of the fight.
· But clearly it was imperialistic palaeontologists rather than imperialist fossils that set the pattern in both cases.· That first day seemed to set the pattern for the following weeks.· In form and style they set the pattern for the first generation of purpose-built station buildings.· All this set the pattern for the next few days.· While working in films Mary set the pattern of work for the next fifty years.· I suppose that set a pattern.· Ever again would set a pattern.
· But it is Michael Jackson's deal which may set precedents the music business will later regret.· The ruling also set a firm precedent against deals reached among lawyers handling business lawsuits to keep court filings secret.· Part of me thinks that he is setting a useful precedent.· Guidelines have been laid, standards are set, and precedents have been established.· School officials say releasing those kinds of notes would set a bad precedent and inhibit communication among teachers and administrators.· Once again Edward had set precedents and opened opportunities for extensive royal exploitation subsequently.· Employment lawyer Robert Rosati says courts are setting a troublesome precedent when they let such suits to go forward.
· If I have a niche, I set the price.· Oil companies all set the same prices, but not the same salaries.· Subsidiaries will be free to set their own prices.· Beaudoin said Fine Host routinely sets prices for vendors with whom it contracts.· Regulatory agencies set prices and specify quality and quantity of output.· Goldman analyst Jack Kelly set a 12-month target price on the stock of 45 to 46 a share.
· The previous day she had set a new world record in the preliminaries.· Average daily share volume set a record at 346 million shares a day, according to preliminary data from the exchange.· The next running back to rumble for 200 yards in a game this season will set a league record.· I want to set the record straight.· In fact, it set a record for first-day sales of a double-length album with 855, 000 sales nationally.· They have a duty to set the record straight, otherwise they are conniving at falsehood.· The presidential race is setting records.
· You set the scene, as it were, for your presentation and then proceed to follow the pattern laid down.· I was thinking of setting a scene from my novel here.· The facts Before turning to the precise terms of the statutory provisions I must set the scene by referring to the facts.· Jane saw it first, as they sat waiting for the lights to be set for the next scene.· The interpretation of Mannheim's project that von Schelting initiated set the scene for its incorporation into mainstream functionalist sociology.· But three key findings have set the scene for subsequent debate on the system.· Concern about a baby's bowel movements can set the scene for concern and anxiety.· Annan set the scene for the introduction of Channel 4.
· At the age of 22 he set up shop in Sweeting's Alley, which was near the Royal Exchange.· The Barrio Grill originally set up shop just over a year ago.· Early registration figures are also said to be disappointing for the banks and building societies which have set up share shops.· She set up the shop in 1990 with the intention of selling yarn, patterns and accessories.· In the course of that interview, he admitted employing men to set fire to his shop.· Once we set out for the shops, Lindy guessed where we were going and took her habitual, well-remembered route.
· But where there are sellers there are buyers, and it was this latter rare species we had set our sights on.· That was how it was with Master Yehudi: the better things went for us, the higher he set his sights.· Awford was booked and Barnes set his sights 20 yards from goal.· And Bettman has set his sights high.· I've told you before - you've got to set your sights high.· Gazing intently into her computer screen, Christine Montgomery has set her sights on the next generation of electronic language translators.· The new party was setting its sights on multiparty federal elections expected by the end of the year.· Both women were certain early on that they wanted a high-profile career related to politics and set their sights on achieving it.
· Each stage of development effectively sets the stage for the next.· Thus, it further sets the stage for later discussion of the other four pillars.· Each time his performance had grown more elaborate: he wrote the script, set the stage, and took the lead.· That sets the stage for the matrix arrangement.· They would set up the stage among buildings he felt he somehow knew.· I brought items from home to set up the stage.· The changes that occurred as a result of this rethinking set the stage for Workplace 2000.
· Creative, determined to set the highest standards.· Let our little group set a standard for the rest.· Recently, the federal government set its own minimum standards for landfills.· A combination of history, tradition and resources makes it possible for the cathedral to set high standards, musically as well as liturgically.· Falafel, on the other hand, is great and sets new standard for falafel crunch.· We will set up a statutory General Teaching Council to improve professional qualifications and set standards for teacher training and retraining.· He set the standards for everyone.
· The sun set behind us, reflecting gold on the building.· When the tide is low and the sun high, I set off with a bucket to circle the nubble.· The sun was setting behind the black rocks, and the sea was a blaze of luminous colour.· The sun was setting behind the clouds.· The sun was setting on the tops of the distant mountains.· The sun set nearly an hour ago.· The sun had set and dusk was closing in.· By the time we started walking back to the car, the sun had set.
· Later she helped Mr Priddy to set the dining table upstairs.· The smoke was broken off the cabin chimney where she had dropped it while setting the table eighteen years ago.· Some estimates of the round-trip transactions costs involved in stock index arbitrage are set out in Table 5.1.· While a kettle boiled she could set a table, light a fire, and watch over a cooking breakfast.· Rosenberg said Cup told him that he could set up a table to give away shirts.· After that we set the dining table and served the lunch we had brought.· She ran when she made the beds, ran when she set the table.
· In this limited way care programming can be used to set targets and measure progress in developing mental health services.· The Bundesbank officially bases its interest rate policy on M3 growth and sets a growth target each year.· And that's a problem for the Government, which has set targets for cutting the number of deaths on the roads.· Thus, setting annual targets for M3 would lead directly to bringing inflation under control.· Self-assessment is a key feature of the module and students should set targets for themselves based on their initial self-assessment.· Later, the results are carefully compared with the intentions in order to identify remedial action or set new targets.· They have set themselves hugely ambitious targets.· Our Health Initiative will set targets for better health, backed by effective action.
· How should we set about the task of becoming wise?· Using the pen he had bought from the deaf mute, he set about his task with diligence.· The Conservative Government, under Mrs Thatcher, set about the task straight away.· Many pressure groups set themselves the task of sedulously winning over influential opinion to their view of the future.· They immediately set about the task of pushing the jostling photographers away from the limousine.· In retirement he had set himself the task of making a replica Tomkin long-case clock.· They moved to Sherburn-in-Elmet and set to their new task.· We were set different tasks to do eg getting across an area of grass which had poison on it.
· Reception areas, which should set the tone for the entire hotel, so often let it down.· The back row set the tone of the class because it acted throughout as one, indivisible, incredibly noisy unit.· These were the Cold Warriors who set the tone for the Fifties.· When the top leader places that kind of premium on seamless communication and openness, it sets the tone for everyone.· This more or less set the tone for a miserable day's fending.· Director Andrew Lane has set the tone of the movie at a pitch somewhere between sendup and subtle humor.· Start with the mood music, where Maastricht sets a tone but not much more.· An anecdote could be cited as a means of setting the tone of area of concern.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► set something ↔ up► set somebody ↔ up► set somebody ↔ up► set somebody up► set somebody ↔ up► set somebody/something ↔ back► set something ↔ forth► set something ↔ off► set something ↔ off► set something ↔ off► set something ↔ off► set somebody off► set something off against tax► set somebody/something on somebody► set somebody on/onto somebody► set something ↔ out► set something ↔ out► set something ↔ upPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► set things aright► put/set the cat among the pigeons► a closed set (of something)► the jet set► on your mark(s), get set, go!► put/lay/set down a marker► set/put somebody straight► be written/set/cast in tablets of stone► set the Thames on fire► set tongues wagging► set the wheels in motion/set the wheels turning► (set of) wheels
1put [transitive always + adverb/preposition] written to carefully put something down somewhereset something (down) on something- He said, following his arrest last fall, that the FBI had set him up.
- Terry and Donald think I set them up, but it's all a big misunderstanding.
- After all, she was the one who'd set herself up as Jett's little helper.
- Everyone thinks he can set himself up as a dramatic critic.
- He set himself up as a one-man cult.
- It's not that he wishes to set himself up as a leader.
- Roads and Traffic in Urban Areas has, by its own proclamation, set itself up as the Bible for traffic planners.
- She was too young to be setting herself up as the devoted handmaiden to the great man.
- Why do they set themselves up as tradesmen if that's all they're going to do?
- All the costs of getting a mortgage, moving and setting up home can run into thousands.
- And he set up house for her in a bungalow further along the river, in a nice secluded part.
- Desmond Wilcox was a grown man when he chose to leave his wife and children and set up home with Esther.
- Nor do I think that it is disgraceful if two men of a loving disposition should set up home together.
- The two new Mr and Mrs Kim-Soons set up house next door.
- These nests will shortly be visited by the female in whose larger territory the various males have set up home.
- Thousands of them have set up home in the eaves of this house in Banbury.
- Why not just leave - set up home in a more tolerant spiritual pew?
- Crickets set up a racket in trees out in the yard.
- Both set sports goals for their daughters before their daughters knew what goals were.
- But Mrs Harris said I must set a goal for myself.
- If so you will find it helpful to set some goals to give short-range guidance.
- In setting performance goals, pay attention to the context.
- The economist, on the other hand, likes to set definite goals.
- They are responsible for the long range planning activities of the firm and they will set the overall goals.
- This is better than setting a goal to lose the entire twenty pounds, which you may not be able to do.
- Timetables for implementation should be established, setting out specific goals and actions that allow responsibility to be allocated and achievement monitored.
- But where there are sellers there are buyers, and it was this latter rare species we had set our sights on.
- Gazing intently into her computer screen, Christine Montgomery has set her sights on the next generation of electronic language translators.
- He knew he was bound to pull any girl he set his mind on - he always had.
- Heath had set her sights on the U. S. Senate seat from Colorado.
- Her youth and beauty elicited a predictable reaction from my father, who set his sights on her at once.
- Sofa Head's greatest asset is the realisation that you don't have to set your sights on one target.
- Wagner set his sights on a degree in electrical engineering, and he followed his star with a fervid intensity.
- Yes, she thought, if Tamar had set her mind on something she would never rest until it was accomplished.
- The Bulls set a team record with its 15th successive victory.
- Walsh set a pentathlon record in 1953.
- A design for a tapestry by Rubens set a record when it sold for £748,000.
- Average daily share volume set a record at 346 million shares a day, according to preliminary data from the exchange.
- Excavated in 1, 239 days, the 26, 800-foot Elizabeth Tunnel set a record for hard-rock tunneling.
- He won more than 1,000 cups and prizes as an amateur, setting records ranging from 1,000 yards to 12 miles.
- I am absolutely sure that my friend Jimmy Wall and I failed in our attempt to set a record.
- Meanwhile, Lakeside was setting records for the number of youths fishing there.
- The 35 players who beat par in the first round set a record, beating the 33 who did it in 1991.
- The motion on the Local Government Finance Bill - which set a record - was also introduced before debate had begun.
- Could you help me set the table?
- A soft November swell has set the tables rattling metallically at one another across the bar.
- But come on, set the table.
- She set the table and began breakfast.
- She ran when she made the beds, ran when she set the table.
- The bird collected wood, the mouse made the fire and set the table, and the sausage cooked the food.
- The servants setting the tables ready for supper were summarily dismissed.
- The smoke was broken off the cabin chimney where she had dropped it while setting the table eighteen years ago.
- While this cooked Baucis set the table with her trembling old hands.
- The cheaters were caught when one teacher set a trap by casually leaving a copy of the test on her desk.
- Beatrix had set a trap for Maurice and he had walked straight into it.
- It may be necessary to set a trap for him.
- Or, you can set traps for them to prevent then from reaching the pots to lay their eggs.
- She sets a trap and sets off a series of events that entangle household, family and friends.
- She must remember to tell Mrs Cooke to set a trap.
- So Gharr no only had Mala but also knew our pod and had set a trap for me.
- They are setting a trap for me, she decided.
- After six years in prison, Louis was set free.
- Someone had to set Dave straight on company policies and procedures.
- Tom set his jaw and stared at the officer.
- Tom set his jaw, frowning, listening, and concentrating doggedly on his own life.
- But pop sets itself against nature and abandons wisdom for folly, moments of dissipation.
- She leaned into him, set herself against him.
- The three Established Church representatives set themselves against; the other four who were Free Churchmen were for it.
- Why has the Supreme Court set itself against the will of the majority on such an unprecedented scale?
- Parents can also set costs against tax.
- After organising a group of locals and a dugout canoe, we set out on the week-long journey to Iau.
- But Charlie also sets out on a series of scandalous liaisons and unfortunate marriages with very young girls.
- But long before that jalopy set out on Route 66, the wild oat had done its landscape-altering work.
- Details of the amounts due to be billed and the properties concerned are set out on the attached sheet for your information.
- Details of the Company's principal subsidiary and associated undertakings are set out on page 47.
- In the end the woman chooses to renounce both men and sets out on her own path.
- Its founders were clinging to the wreckage, not setting out on a brave new voyage.
- The most obvious source of the necessary electrical energy would be solar panels set out on the lunar surface.
- Such seriousness and ambition in a very young man set him apart.
- The new software was a unique tool that set the Microsoft Network apart from other commercial online services.
- A penchant for setting oneself apart and above mere mortals.
- BAs gloomy as this prospect might be, it also set us apart.
- I was the first, but beyond that I see nothing to set me apart from anyone else.
- Such seriousness, intensity, and power in a young man set him apart and left an impression on others.
- They seemed to bend at the knee, setting their feet apart so that they could never be off balance when they moved.
- What set it apart was the way irrigation and power production were linked.
- What sets it apart is where it comes from.
- Ali MacGraw set the ball rolling with Love Story.
- And laughter is infectious ... so a little bit of effort on the small screen could start the ball rolling.
- Does that make a difference, or did he and others just start the ball rolling?
- He will keep the ball rolling.
- Her words started the ball rolling.
- To start the ball rolling, the government was asked to contribute £1 million.
- Volume 2 deals with general idioms e.g. keep the ball rolling, the proof of the pudding.
- Wolves play a similar style, and at times one yearned for some one to set the ball rolling ... literally.
- Bedford disliked Halsey the minute he set eyes on him.
- How could she possibly know, since he had not set eyes on the girl?
- I bonded on the second night I laid eyes on Hyakutake.
- Just hours earlier she had set eyes on the pretty two-year-old and sister Anna-Camilla, seven, for the first time.
- Never anywhere have I set eyes on such a one.
- No sooner did she set eyes on the gentleman than she recognised his pecuniary position to be merely temporary.
- The couple fell in love before they had even set eyes on each other during a six-month long distance courtship.
- Alternatively, the rule-makers can set their faces against the pressures for change.
- Does the hon. Gentleman really want to set his face against the improvements that trust status could deliver?
- I would set my face against the casualisation of the Corporation.
- It has set its face against cutting prices.
- The Lord Chancellor set his face against growing criticism over his behaviour.
- The last time Molly set foot in that house was 26 years ago.
- After she sued, Harvard said it would file criminal trespass charges against Garzilli if she sets foot in the department.
- As soon as I set foot in there, I knew that I had to be involved somehow.
- August paid off the bank, then never set foot in New Albion or Lake Wobegon again.
- However, he had never set foot in the village again.
- Louis Johnson came to despise the Alsops and ordered Pentagon reception desks to inform him whenever they set foot in the building.
- She had set foot in Skipton and passed through Keighley, but these were small country towns.
- Streetsmart in Jersey City, many have never set foot in the big town across the Hudson.
- The moment I set foot in this house, my world turned upside down.
- He's set his heart on a new bike for Christmas.
- By January 1768 they were back in Vienna, where Leopold had set his heart on securing an opera commission for Wolfgang.
- He's always set his heart on going to Simon's school.
- He was not a man to give way easily and he had clearly set his heart on making her recognise her father.
- I have held no office because Thou did not will it, and I never set my heart on office.
- So now, after all, there was something she had set her heart on.
- But Apple first must get its house in order.
- Commissioners are satisfied with the progress it is making to put its house in order.
- Following numerous complaints the Vicar of Woodford has been told to put his house in order.
- Henry had set his house in order but had no thoughts about setting off on crusade.
- Others have called on the council to step in and tell the firm to put its house in order.
- The Law Society no longer can support equally those who have put their house in order and those who have not.
- He rarely left the Brooklyn apartment where he had set up house.
- Her parents were very upset when she set up house with her boyfriend.
- They first set up house together in Atlanta and moved to Miami three years later.
- And he set up house for her in a bungalow further along the river, in a nice secluded part.
- Diana and I were soon to set up house in Shepherd's Bush and our fortunes were inextricable for the next decade.
- He had even established a system for sending money home to their families once they had set up house in this country.
- I have to save enough money to set up house.
- The two new Mr and Mrs Kim-Soons set up house next door.
- They set up house in No. 93, which was now to let.
- A spark can just as easily set light to your clothes as it can to a dryer full of washing.
- Flames set light to his jacket and Mr Williams was helped into a nearby toilet where his hands were drenched with water.
- My father had twice set light to the form.
- That spark can set light to further proposals, ideas and chances in the manager's mind.
- The police set light to it.
- The vandals broke into the house, piled the cooker with linen then switched it on and set light to it.
- Would we leave a thing like that when any kiddy could knock the chocks out or set light to it?
- Youths fired an arrow through the window of one house and set light to another in an attempt to silence them.
- Just to put your mind at ease, we will get a second opinion from a cardiac specialist.
- The doctor set my mind at rest by explaining exactly what effect the drug would have on me.
- But let me set your mind at rest.
- But she'd like to see him, to try and set her mind at rest.
- He's been very kind to me and Lily, as regards putting our minds at rest about Stella.
- He's unlikely to know how you feel, and until he does, he can't put your mind at rest.
- He must set their minds at rest about the Freddie affair, because they knew of Freddie.
- I wish I could put their minds at rest.
- It puts my mind at rest.
- Quite often, all that is required is a friendly chat to put your mind at rest.
- A second glance put my mind to rest, but for a moment there it gave me a turn.
- Across the table, Lalage put her mind to the subjugation of Dada.
- Anybody could do what I do if they put their mind to it.
- But he can turn his mind to detailed needs, like pensions, if he has to.
- He would put his mind to other issues, one of which was sobering in its own right.
- I turned my mind to Archie.
- Whatever you set your mind to, your personal total obsession, this is what kills you.
- When Medea knew the deed was done she turned her mind to one still more dreadful.
- The discovery set in motion two days of searching for the bodies.
- A tiny pilot light, if you like, that was necessary to set everything else in motion.
- Corot set the countryside in motion.
- He has set the ball in motion.
- How easy to see how a white kid could set this in motion with hardly any effort.
- It is both wasteful and irresponsible to set experiments in motion and omit to record and analyse what happens.
- Oliver corrected the clock and set it in motion.
- On Jan. 13, Vega said, Guzman set his plot in motion.
- The programme had lost the man responsible for setting it in motion.
- She sat at the piano for hours, putting one of her poems to music.
- The Greek tragedy "Elektra" was set to music by Richard Strauss.
- But if you have an extremely subtle story, how are you going to set it to music?
- For Robin, a place to put mind to music.
- What were you going to do, set it to music?
- For most of the nineties, we were setting the pace in mobile phone technology.
- He or she controls the room and sets the pace.
- It is true that Newt Gingrich's Republicans set the pace.
- Pharmaceutical companies were the top-performing stocks in 1995 and set the pace today.
- They've got stronger since then and have set the pace in the championship race this season.
- This should result in fundholders setting the pace and others benefiting.
- Thus, the infant is setting the pace.
- Your rhythm should set the pace of the fight.
- Zeta's Lad set the pace.
- And striker Geoff Ferris is likely to put pen to paper for 12 months.
- Good old-fashioned motives for putting pen to paper.
- He then put pen to paper, and soon a stream of adjectives was flowing.
- I had written a very fine book in my head before arriving, without setting pen to paper.
- I have put pen to paper sparingly, aware that pictures speak louder than words.
- In February of 1942 and again in May of that year he had put pen to paper and logged his past.
- So if you are fun-loving and open-minded, put pen to paper.
- So why not put pen to paper and win a wardrobe of fashions.
- Having set the record straight there is a paradox.
- He sets the record straight by a thorough reconsideration of Addison's Cato, that tragedy constantly overrated at the time.
- I want to set the record straight.
- Or a desire to put the record straight?
- Taylor was given the perfect platform to set the record straight at yesterday's press conference.
- They have a duty to set the record straight, otherwise they are conniving at falsehood.
- But let me set your mind at rest.
- But she'd like to see him, to try and set her mind at rest.
- He's been very kind to me and Lily, as regards putting our minds at rest about Stella.
- He's unlikely to know how you feel, and until he does, he can't put your mind at rest.
- He must set their minds at rest about the Freddie affair, because they knew of Freddie.
- I wish I could put their minds at rest.
- It puts my mind at rest.
- Quite often, all that is required is a friendly chat to put your mind at rest.
- We set sail at sunrise.
- Backwards Pretend you are a beginner who has inadvertently forgotten which end of the board is forwards and set sail going backwards.
- But even if you only set sail in a comfy chair, this discussion is richly detailed in its own right.
- He hastened back to the ship and bade his crew set sail.
- In particular, on days of ill-omen ships could not set sail.
- It is small wonder that the idea of setting sail for an un-known land grew less and less attractive to him.
- On renouncing alcohol he was pardoned and he set sail for Darlington where he became a leading light in the Society.
- The fisherman cut their lines and set sail for port, but the sea serpent continued to follow them.
- The vessel set sail late Tuesday for an undisclosed destination, the news agency said.
- Government tanks rolled into town, setting the scene for a bloody battle.
- Recent events have set the scene for a potentially violent confrontation between the demonstrators and the army.
- The negotiations in Geneva have set the scene for a possible agreement later in the year.
- Annan set the scene for the introduction of Channel 4.
- But three key findings have set the scene for subsequent debate on the system.
- Concern about a baby's bowel movements can set the scene for concern and anxiety.
- Kasparov's reply, 19 a3, set the scene for a dramatic and cliffhanging duel.
- Let's first set the scene.
- The interpretation of Mannheim's project that von Schelting initiated set the scene for its incorporation into mainstream functionalist sociology.
- You set the scene, as it were, for your presentation and then proceed to follow the pattern laid down.
- His three-day tour set the seal on reconciliation between the two communities.
- It set the seal on his depression; he was almost ready to go home.
- Dr. Rosen closed his downtown practice and set up shop in a suburban neighborhood.
- Jack got his law degree, then set up shop as a real estate lawyer.
- At the age of 22 he set up shop in Sweeting's Alley, which was near the Royal Exchange.
- Each failed when a dispute arose and some group walked out of the union to set up shop down the block.
- My body and the kindly Earth have set up shop against me.
- NxtWave opted not to set up shop in Silicon Valley and instead chose Langhorne.
- S., new steel mills are setting up shop.
- The two Yankees started the business set up shop right where you see it.
- Wade Smith was given salesman of the year in January and promptly left to set up shop on his own.
- Graham has no plans to fly this aircraft at present and will put it to one side as soon as assembly and testing is complete.
- She put it to one side, and opened the folder of photographs.
- But later the deputies set the stage for possible compromise by agreeing to debate a referendum after all.
- But that simply set the stage for a final, beautiful flourish from Robins.
- Each stage of development effectively sets the stage for the next.
- That sets the stage for the matrix arrangement.
- The changes that occurred as a result of this rethinking set the stage for Workplace 2000.
- The vote set the stage for a government-wide review and partial rollback of affirmative action programs.
- Thus, it further sets the stage for later discussion of the other four pillars.
- Being thus disappointed, I now set great store by what the first night might bring.
- Bourbon producers set great store by the soft local water which passes through limestone on its way to the distilleries.
- Britain had previously set great store by the Lisbon economic summit two years ago, but progress has subsequently been slow.
- He had worked for the same engineering firm for thirty years and he had always set great store by the company pension.
- It apparently sets great store by creating business and completing assignments relatively quickly.
- Organizations which set great store by behavioural conformity often develop patterns of operation which can appear ridiculous in their manifestations.
- The ancient Israelites set great store by proper burial.
- His high-pitched squeaky voice set my teeth on edge.
- At other times their self-evident frustration sets your teeth on edge.
- He w as filing arrow heads, and the sound of the metal on the whetstone set Burun's teeth on edge.
- It was all done so genteelly that it set McAllister's teeth on edge.
- That set our teeth on edge and bring our goose pimples rising like porpoises after mackerel.
- It is easy to make him look personally responsible for setting the process in train and bringing it to fruition.
- Why, oh, why did you set such enquiries in train?
- Larger corporations are setting the trend for better maternity benefits.
- To save the planet we must set the trend of caring for the environment.
- Young backpackers set the trend, and now people of all ages are looking for cheap ways to travel around Southeast Asia.
- But although the sensationally styled Calibra sets the trend, it is by no means the only exponent of the field.
- It caught on over here some years later with the Seven Men of Preston setting the trend.
- The bank rate sets the trend for home, vehicle and other consumer loans.
- The rate, which sets the trend for home and other consumer loans, is now at its lowest since November 1994.
- And now we have Sliver which was the subject of much wrangling and hasn't exactly set the world on fire.
- But if Rhodes hasn't set the world on fire with his batting, he certainly has with his fielding.
- Either way, the speed and acceleration is not going to set the world on fire.
- It was a lovely accomplishment, of course, but nothing to set the world on fire with.
- None of the three papers was going to set the world on fire.
- The sonorities glow, and the whole thing is user-friendly without setting the world on fire.
- He wanted to put the world to rights.
- More recently Lou has cleaned up his act and started setting the world to rights.
- That straightness of Time, that confining straightness, was one with the Western picture of setting the world to rights.
She set the tray down on a table next to his bed. Mark filled the pan and set it on the stove.set something down/aside The workmen set the box down carefully on the floor. Remove the mushrooms and set them aside.2put into surface [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to put something into a surfacebe set into something Gates should be hung on sturdy posts set well into the ground.be set into the wall/floor/ceiling etc (=be built into the surface of something so that it does not stick out) an alarm button set into the wall beside the doorGRAMMAR Set is usually passive in this meaning.3story [transitive always + adverb/preposition] if a film, play, story etc is set in a particular place or period, the action takes place there or thenbe set in something The novel is set in France.be set against something All this romance is set against a backdrop of rural Irish life.GRAMMAR Set is usually passive in this meaning.4consider [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to consider something in relation to other thingsset something against/beside something These casualty totals have to be set against the continuing growth in traffic. This debate should be set in an international context.5establish something [transitive] to establish a way of doing something that is then copied or regarded as goodset the pattern/tone/trend etc (for something) Art and literature flourished and this set the pattern for the whole of Europe. The prime minister’s fierce speech set the tone for the rest of the conference. It is important that parents set an example (=behave well). The outcome of the case will set a legal precedent. His photographs set the standard for landscapes. Freud’s views on sexuality set the agenda for much of the century (=people paid attention to the subjects he dealt with).6start something happening [transitive] to make something start happening or to make someone start doing somethingset something in motion/progress/train A study by military experts was immediately set in motion. The chief executive will set in train the process of finding a successor.set something on fire/alight/ablaze (also set fire to something) (=make something start burning) Protesters set fire to two buses.set somebody/something doing something Her last remark has set me thinking. The wind set the trees rustling.7decide something [transitive] to decide and state when something will happen, how much something should cost, what should be done etcset a date/time (for something) The government has still not set a date for the election. International companies set the price of oil.set standards/limits/guidelines etc high standards of hygiene set by the Department of Health8start working [intransitive, transitive] to start doing something in a determined way, or to tell someone to start doing somethingset to work to do something They set to work to paint the outside of the building.set (somebody) to work on something He’s about to set to work on a second book.set (somebody) to work doing something The boys were set to work collecting firewood.set somebody to do something Rocard set himself to reform public sector industry.9machine/clock etc [transitive] to move a switch on a machine, clock etc so that it will start or stop working at the time you want, or in the way you want: Did you set the alarm? I set the oven to come on at 12.set something to/at/on something Usually, the heating is set on ‘low’.10liquid/glue/cement etc [intransitive] to become hard and solid: How long does it take for the glue to set?11sun [intransitive] when the sun sets, it moves down in the sky and disappears OPP rise12set (somebody) a goal (also set (somebody) a task/challenge British English) to say what you or someone else will or must try to achieve: It’s best to set realistic goals that you can achieve. He set himself the task of learning Japanese.13set your heart/mind/sights on (doing) something to want very much to have or achieve something, or to be determined to do something: Ellen has completely set her heart on that house. He set his sights on crossing the Pacific by balloon.14set a record to achieve the best result in a sport, competition etc that has ever been achieved, by running fastest, jumping highest etc: The Kenyan runner set a new Olympic Record in the 3,000 metres.15set the table to arrange plates, knives, cups etc on a table so that it is ready for a meal SYN lay the table British English16set a trap a)to make a trap ready to catch an animal b)to invent a plan to try and catch someone who is doing something wrong: They decided to set a trap for him by leaving him in charge.17set somebody free/loose to allow a person or an animal to be free: All the other hostages were finally set free.18set somebody straight/right to tell someone the right way to do something or the true facts about somethingset on I set him right on a few points of procedure. → set something right at right1(4), → set the record straight at record1(11)19face [intransitive] written if your face or mouth sets into a particular expression, you start to have an angry, sad, unfriendly etc expressionset into His mouth set into a rather grim line.20set your jaw to move your lower jaw forward in a way that shows your determination21bone a)[transitive] if a doctor sets a broken bone, he or she moves it into position so that the bone can grow together again b)[intransitive] if a broken bone sets, it joins together again22class work [transitive] British English to give a student in your class a piece of work to doset somebody something Mr Biggs has set us a 2,000-word essay.23examination [transitive] British English to write the questions for an examination: The head teacher sets the questions for the English exam.24printing [transitive] to arrange the words and letters of a book, newspaper etc so it is ready to be printed: In those days, books had to be set by hand.25hair [transitive] to arrange someone’s hair while it is wet so that it has a particular style when it dries → set somebody at (their) ease at ease1(2), → set your face against something at face1(21), → set something to music at music(1), → set the pace at pace1(7), → set pen to paper at pen1(3), → set sail at sail2(2), → set the scene at scene(9), → set the stage for something at stage1(7), → set great store by/on something at store1(6), → set the world on fire/alight at world1(22), → set the world to rights at world1(23)COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 5nounsset an example (=behave well in a way that other people can copy)· Parents should try to set a good example to their teenagers.set a precedent (=do something that later actions or decisions may be based on)· This legislation would set a most dangerous precedent.set the pattern/trend (=do something in a way that is later repeated)· That first day seemed to set the pattern for the following weeks.set the tone (=establish a general mood or feeling)· The gloomy first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the novel.set the standard (=be very good, and so show how good other people or things should be)· They wanted to set the standard for software.set the agenda (=establish what subjects should be discussed)· We are not attempting to set the agenda for other women’s groups.set the pace (=move or change quickly, so that others try to do the same)· With regard to industrialization, Britain set the pace in the first half of the nineteenth century.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 7nounsset a date/time· No date has been set for the election.set a price· We set the price at £30.set standards/guidelines (=decide on standards, rules etc)· The government has set new food quality standards for all school canteens.set limits· Set strict limits on your spending.set about something/somebody phrasal verb1to start doing or dealing with something, especially something that needs a lot of time and effort: A team of volunteers set about the task with determination.set about doing something How do senior managers set about making these decisions?2 literary to attack someone by hitting and kicking them: They set about him with their fists.set somebody/something against somebody/something phrasal verb1to make someone start to fight or quarrel with another person, especially a person who they had friendly relations with before: The bitter civil war set brother against brother.2set yourself against (doing) something to decide that you are opposed to doing or having something: She’s set herself against going to university.3set something against tax to officially record the money you have spent on something connected with your job, in order to reduce the amount of tax you have to payset somebody/something apart phrasal verb1if a quality sets someone or something apart, it makes them different from or better than other people or thingsset apart from Man’s ability to reason sets him apart from other animals.2to keep something, especially a particular time, for a special purposebe set apart for something Traditionally, these days were set apart for prayer and fasting.GRAMMAR Set apart is usually passive in this meaning.set something ↔ aside phrasal verb1to keep something, especially money, time, or a particular area, for a special purposeset aside for Try to set aside some time each day for exercise. a room that had been set aside for visitors2to decide not to consider a particular feeling or thing because something else is more important: Both sides agreed to set aside the question of independence.3to officially state that a previous legal decision or agreement no longer has any effect: The judge set aside the verdict of the lower court.4if a farmer sets aside land, he or she agrees not to grow any crops on it, and accepts a payment from the government for thisset somebody/something back phrasal verb1set somebody/something ↔ back to delay the progress or development of something, or delay someone from finishing something: Environmental experts said the move would set back further research. Illness had set me back a couple of weeks.2informal to cost someone a lot of moneyset somebody back $50/£100 etc This jacket set me back over £1,000.set something/somebody ↔ down phrasal verb1to write about something so that you have a record of it: I wanted to set my feelings down on paper.2to state how something should be done in an official document or set of rules: Clear guidelines have been set down for teachers.3British English to stop a car, bus etc and allow someone to get out: The driver set her down at the station.set forth phrasal verb1set something ↔ forth formal to explain ideas, facts, or opinions in a clearly organized way in writing or in a speech SYN set out: He set forth an idealistic view of society.2literary to begin a journey: They were about to set forth on a voyage into the unknown.set in phrasal verb if something sets in, especially something unpleasant, it begins and seems likely to continue for a long time: Winter seems to be setting in early this year. Further economic decline set in during the 1930s.set off phrasal verb1to start to go somewhere: I’ll set off early to avoid the traffic.set off for Jerry and I set off on foot for the beach.2set something ↔ off to make something start happening, especially when you do not intend to do so: News that the claims might be true set off widespread panic. Hong Kong’s stock market fell, setting off a global financial crisis.RegisterIn written English, people often say that something triggers a particular reaction or event, rather than sets it off, because it sounds more formal:· This could trigger a global financial crisis.3set something ↔ off to make an alarm start ringing: Smoke from a cigarette will not normally set off a smoke alarm.4set something ↔ off to make a bomb explode, or cause an explosion: Any movement could have set off the bomb.5set something ↔ off if a piece of clothing, colour, decoration etc sets something off, it makes it look attractive: The blue sundress set off her long blonde hair.6set somebody off to make someone start laughing, crying, or talking about something: Don’t mention what happened – you’ll only set her off again.7set something off against tax to officially record the money you have spent on something connected with your job, in order to reduce the amount of tax you have to pay: Some expenses can be set off against tax.set on somebody phrasal verb British English1set somebody/something on somebody to make people or animals attack someone: The farmer threatened to set his dogs on us.2if you are set on by people or animals, you are suddenly attacked by them: A thirty-five-year-old man was set on by four youths last night.GRAMMAR Set on is usually passive in this meaning.3set somebody on/onto somebody to give someone information about a person who you think has done something wrong, because you want that person to be found and caught: If I refuse, he’ll set the police onto me.set out phrasal verb1to start a journey, especially a long journeyset out for Kate set out for the house on the other side of the bay.set out on a journey/drive/voyage etc The band are setting out on a European tour in March.2to start doing something or making plans to do something in order to achieve a particular resultset out to do something salesmen who deliberately set out to defraud customersset out with the idea/purpose/intention etc of doing something They set out with the aim of becoming the number one team in the league.3set something ↔ out to explain ideas, facts, or opinions in a clearly organized way, in writing or in a speech: He set out the reasons for his decision in his report.4 set something ↔ out to put a group of things down and arrange them: The market traders began setting out their displays.5set out on something to start doing something, especially something new, difficult, or important: My nephew is just setting out on a career in journalism.set to phrasal verb British English to start doing something eagerly and with determination: If we all set to, we’ll finish the job in half an hour.set up phrasal verb1company/organization etc to start a company, organization, committee etc SYN establishset something ↔ up They want to set up their own import–export business. new regulations for setting up political partiesset (yourself) up (as something) (=start your own business) John decided to set up as a graphic designer.set up shop/set up in business (=begin operating a business) Now Betterware plans to set up shop elsewhere in Europe.2arrange/organize set something ↔ up to make the arrangements that are necessary for something to happen: I’ll set up an appointment for you. There was a lot of work involved in setting up the festival.3equipment to prepare the equipment that will be needed for an activity so that it is ready to be used: The next band was already setting up on the other stage.set something ↔ up Can someone set the overhead projector up?4build/put up set something ↔ up to place or build something somewhere, especially something that is not permanent: They’ve set up roadblocks around the city.5trick somebody set somebody ↔ up informal to trick someone in order to achieve what you want, especially to make it appear that they have done something wrong or illegal: Cox claimed that the police had tried to set him up.6provide money set somebody ↔ up British English informal to provide someone with money that they need, especially in order to start a business: After he qualified as a doctor, his mother set him up in a practice of his own. Selling her share of the company has set her up for life.7healthy/full of energy set somebody up British English to make you feel healthy and full of energy: A good breakfast will set you up for the day.8set yourself up as something to deliberately make people believe that you have the authority and skill to do something, especially when this is not true: politicians who set themselves up as moral authorities9put somebody in position set somebody up to put someone in a position in which they are able to do something, or in which something is likely to happen to themset up for If he won the fight, it would set him up for a title shot. Anyone with public duties sets themselves up for attack.10relationship set somebody ↔ up informal to arrange for two people to meet, because you think they might start a romantic relationship: ‘How did you meet Nick?’ ‘A friend set us up.’11set up home/house (also set up housekeeping American English) to get your own home, furniture etc, especially when you leave your parents’ home to live with a wife, husband, or partner: Many parents try to help their children set up home.12 set up a commotion/din/racket etc to start making a loud unpleasant noise: The party guests were setting up a steady din. → set up camp at camp1(1)set1 verbset2 nounset3 adjective
setset2 ●●● S1 W1 noun WORD ORIGINset2
Origin:
1-2, 5-6, 8-10 1300-1400 Old French sette, from Latin secta; ➔ SECT3-4, 7, 11 1300-1400 ➔ SET1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a set of commemorative gold coins
- a color television set
- a cutlery set
- a train set
- Amy bought him a set of tools for metal and woodworking.
- For sale - "The Guitarist" magazine - complete set, 1984-1992.
- He soon hooked up with the set of young people he knew who had already moved to the city.
- I gave a spare set of house keys to my neighbours.
- I was useless at school -- always in the bottom set in every subject.
- In the second set, Sampras led 5 - 4.
- She's in set one for maths and English and set two for history.
- She likes to mingle with the arty set.
- She was on the set early to read over her new lines.
- The first set of questions wasn't too bad, but they got really difficult after that.
- The head teacher was presented with a set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, worth more than £1,600.
- Wagner won a Tony for the set of "On the Twentieth Century."
- We started the meeting by agreeing on a set of objectives.
- We think you've improved sufficiently to go up to a higher set.
- You'll get a better set if you use gelatin.
- But this is actually only one of six sets of regulations and guidance which are due to come into force.
- Four different sets of stimuli were used.
- He thus developed a theory which argues that there are two sets of factors at work.
- In addition, Ariat, which is carried by equestrian retailers and at Nordstrom, has made inroads beyond the horsey set.
- Like Mount Everest, the Mandelbrot set is just there!
- On February 6 the group presented to college president Buell Gallagher a set of five demands.
- Richard had been passed from one set of foster parents to another until he was ten.
- You could machine a set of four in a day.
Longman Language Activatora group of students in a school, college etc
a group of students or schoolchildren who are taught together: · There are twenty kids in the class.· She gets along well with the other children in her class.· I'm going out with some friends from my dance class.· I graduated in 1999. What class were you in?
a class or group of classes for children of a particular age in an American school: third/seventh/twelfth etc grade: · She's in the fifth grade.· I really liked my eighth grade math teacher.· The second grade class is doing a play about the Pilgrims.
a class or a group of classes for all the children of the same age in a British school for children between 11 and 18: · She's by far the brightest pupil in the form.third/fourth/fifth etc form: · I'm in the third form.· Mrs Davies took the fifth form to the science museum.
all the classes for children of a particular age in a British school or for students in a particular year of study at a British university: · He works a lot harder than most of the students in his year.third/fourth/fifth etc year: · There are 130 children in the second year.· I hated teaching the fifth year. They were always causing trouble.
a class for children with a particular level of ability in a British school: · She's in set one for maths and English and set two for history.· I was useless at school -- always in the bottom set in every subject.· We think you've improved sufficiently to go up to a higher set.
American someone who is in the first year at a high school or university: · We were only freshmen, so the older kids liked to pick on us.freshman class/year/course etc: · Chris remembers his freshman year at UCLA as if it were yesterday.
American someone who is in the second year at a high school or university: · This class is mainly for freshmen and sophomores.sophomore class/year etc: · George dropped out of college his sophomore year.
American someone who is in the third year at a high school or university: · a junior at NYUjunior class/year etc: · Donna spent spring semester of her junior year in Paris.
American someone who is in the fourth and final year at a high school or university: · I can't believe that Cari is a high school senior already.senior class/year etc: · The entire senior class took a trip to Disneyworld.
things that have been collected a group of things that someone has collected because they are attractive or interesting: coin/stamp etc collection: · Have you seen Alvin's stamp collection?collection of: · On the shelf was his mother's collection of crystal vases.· The museum has one of the world's finest collections of Impressionist paintings.
a complete collection of one type of object: · The head teacher was presented with a set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, worth more than £1,600.complete set: · For sale - "The Guitarist" magazine - complete set, 1984-1992.set of: · a set of commemorative gold coins
a group of friends also circle the people you know, especially a group of friends who all know each other and often meet socially: · He had a large circle of friends.· Since my children have started school, my circle has widened to include the mothers of other kids.
spoken a group of male or female friends who often do things together: · Sally's having a night out with the girls from the office.· It's his poker night with the boys.
informal a small group of friends who often meet socially: · I usually go out with the gang on Saturday nights.one of the gang (=accepted into the group of friends): · She's not really one of the gang, but I invited her to the party.
informal a group of friends who often do things or go out together: · He wasn't with his usual crowd last night.· It may be necessary to change your child's school if they get in with a bad crowd.
: the tennis/golf club/arty etc set a group of friends who meet socially, especially because they are all interested in the same sport or activity, especially an expensive one: · She likes to mingle with the arty set.
a group of people who know each other, and will help each other, even if this means being slightly dishonest: · Weiss was careful not to upset his political cronies.· Her father is probably in the bar, drinking with his cronies.
a number of things thought of as a group a number of separate things that are thought of as a group because they are close together or are all similar in some way: group of: · The house was hidden behind a tall group of trees.· News International is a group of companies that produce newspapers and TV programmes.· A group of new houses is to be built on the old playing-field.· Today you will learn a new group of verbs.
a group of similar things that are used together, or a group of ideas, facts etc: · a chess set· a cutlery setset of: · Amy bought him a set of tools for metal and woodworking.· I gave a spare set of house keys to my neighbours.· The first set of questions wasn't too bad, but they got really difficult after that.· We started the meeting by agreeing on a set of objectives.
a group of similar things that have been put together because they are interesting or attractive: collection of: · a collection of ancient Greek coins· The museum has a superb collection of Mexican pottery.art/stamp/postcard etc collection: · Have you seen her CD collection - it's enormous!
British informal a group of things: this lot/that lot: · She handed me a bag of old clothes. "Could you take this lot to the charity shop for me?''· Right lads, let's pick up this lot and go home.· Bring that lot over here, will you?
a group of things of different types, or different things of one type, mixed together: assortment of: · On the floor was an assortment of boxes and packages.· The soldier received a parcel containing an assortment of shirts, biscuits, and canned food.
a small group of things of the same type that are close to each other: cluster of: · From the airplane we could already see little clusters of houses.· It's an attractive shrub with dark shiny leaves, that has clusters of white flowers in early June.· The adult female lays large clusters of eggs.in clusters: · Most galaxies are found in clusters rather than in isolation.
a group of things of the same type that are made or dealt with at the same time: · Sort the files into batches and give one batch to each secretary.batch of: · The baker took a batch of freshly baked rolls out of the oven.· Mr Green, I have a batch of letters here for you to sign.
WORD SETSaerial, nounairtime, nounAM, nounantenna, nounatmospherics, nounaudio, adjectiveband, nounBBC, the, beacon, nounbeam, verbBeeb, the, bleep, verbboom, nounboom box, nounBritish Broadcasting Corporation, nounbroadband, nounbroadcast, nounbroadcast, verbcable television, CB, nounCCTV, nounCeefax, nounchannel, nounclosed circuit television, nouncommunications satellite, nouncontrast, noundial, nounDJ, nounexposure, nounflash, verbFM, nounfrequency, nounham, nounHz, interference, nounjam, verbkHz, kilohertz, nounlinkup, nounlive, adjectivelocal radio, nounlong wave, nounloudspeaker, nounLW, mast, nounmedium wave, nounmegahertz, nounMHz, modulate, verbmonitor, nounmono, nounmono, adjectiveNBC, nounnetwork, nounnetwork, verbon-air, adjectiveover, prepositionpresenter, nounprogramming, nounquadraphonic, adjectiveradio, nounradio, verbreceive, verbreceiver, nounreception, nounrepeat, verbrepeat, nounrerun, nounrerun, verbroger, interjectionsatellite, nounsatellite dish, nounsatellite television, nounsaturation, nounscrambler, nounseries, nounset, nounshipping forecast, nounship-to-shore, adjectiveshort wave, nounsignal, nounsignature tune, nounsimulcast, verbSOS, nounsound, nounsound bite, nounsound check, nounstatic, nountelecast, nounTeletext, nountelevise, verbtelevision, nountelevision licence, nountelly, nountime signal, nountrack, verbtransistor, nountransistor radio, nountransmission, nountransmit, verbtransmitter, nountune, verbtuner, nountweeter, nountwo-way, adjectiveUHF, noununscramble, verbveejay, nounvideo, nounvideo, adjectivevideo jockey, nounvolume, nounwaveband, nounwavelength, nounwhite noise, nounwireless, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a colour television set Adam’s in the top set for maths.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The factory had been set ablaze (=made to burn). One of the boats had been set afire. The car was set alight and pushed over a hill. I’ve been setting aside a few pounds each week. One of the rooms was set aside for a yoga class. Try to set aside a few hours a week for exercise. a boxed set of CDs The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars. The dial on the heater was set to ‘HOT’. Someone set off the fire alarm. Jeff and David were in the back yard setting off fireworks. They have called on the government to set all political prisoners free. If you want old-world tradition in an idyllic setting, this is the hotel for you. The collection has been moved from its intimate setting to the British Museum. Once the house had been sold, Jane set the wheels in motion (=started the process) to find somewhere smaller to live. Why don’t you order an extra set of prints? The police have set up roadblocks to try and catch the two men. Tom and I had a bit of a set-to last night. ‘Hamlet’ is a set text (=one that must be studied for an examination) this year. British English The only way to catch mice is to set a trap. Police had set a trap for hooligans at the match. a new TV set The commission has set up a special working group to look at the problem. He set a new world record for the marathon.
a colour television set Adam’s in the top set for maths. The factory had been set ablaze (=made to burn). One of the boats had been set afire. (=decide on the problems you want to deal with)· The new government set an agenda for constitutional reform.
· Is there a set of guidelines setting out the aims of study?
· The organization has a set of aims which are listed on its website.
(=make it start ringing)· A window blew open, setting off the alarm.
(=make it ready to operate)· Did you set the burglar alarm?
The car was set alight and pushed over a hill. I’ve been setting aside a few pounds each week. One of the rooms was set aside for a yoga class. Try to set aside a few hours a week for exercise. (=say how much someone must pay to be allowed to stay out of prison)· Judge Philip Moscone set bail at $2 million.
(also detonate a bomb formal) (=make a bomb explode)· The area was cleared and the police safely detonated the bomb.
a boxed set of CDs· The bank gave me a loan to help me set up in business.
· When you’re starting a business, you have to work longer hours.
(=make a camera ready to use)· The team set up their cameras some distance from the animals.
(=put up your tents and arrange the camping place)· The soldiers set up camp outside the city.
The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars. (=a complete group of the different chess pieces)· She gave him a beautifully carved wooden chess set.
· This was a very unusual set of circumstances.
(=make it say the right time)· Don’t forget to set your clocks to summer time.
· The accident happened because of a string of unfortunate coincidences.
· They set up a commission to investigate the problem of youth crime.
· The council appointed a special committee to study the issue.
· Two years later he started his own software company.
(=adjust it so that the needle and the north mark are in line with each other)· Wait until the needle settles, then set the compass.
(=say what someone must agree to)· They laid down certain conditions before agreeing to the ceasefire.
(=consider something in context)· The issue must be placed within its historical context.
· In the East you will have to learn a different set of conventions.
· A National Radio and Television Council was established to regulate the market.
· Doctors use an established set of criteria for making a diagnosis.
· a set of beautiful blue coffee cups
(=one group of data)· The three sets of data produced strikingly different results.
(=decide the date when something will happen)· They haven’t set a date for the election yet.
(=completely disapprove of or disagree with something)· I’d like to be an actress but Mum and Dad are dead set against it.
(=be determined to do something)· At the moment, Steve’s just dead set on winning the gold medal.
(=decide on a date when something must be finished)· The deadline has been set at January 31st.
(=be written down and described in detail)· The changes to the system are set out in detail in the next paragraph.
The dial on the heater was set to ‘HOT’. (=show by your own behaviour how other people should behave)· You should be setting an example for your little brother.
(also embark on an expedition formal) (=leave at the start of an expedition)· Trent set off on an expedition to collect plants with fellow botanical students.
(=cause an explosion)· Investigators believe a fuel leak may have triggered the explosion.
(=far back in someone’s face)· Mac’s eyebrows were thick and dark, above deep-set eyes.
(=close together)· He had a small nose and close-set eyes.
(=wide apart)· Claudette studied the wide-set eyes that looked so innocent.
(=a fee that is the same in every case)· You pay a flat fee for all the services that are provided.
(=make something start burning)· A candle fell over, setting fire to the curtains.
Someone set off the fire alarm. Jeff and David were in the back yard setting off fireworks. They have called on the government to set all political prisoners free.· They have set up a fund to build a memorial to all those who died.
(=decide what you or someone else should try to achieve)· It helps if you set yourself clear goals.
If you want old-world tradition in an idyllic setting, this is the hotel for you. (=start it)· Police launched an inquiry yesterday after a man was killed by a patrol car.
The collection has been moved from its intimate setting to the British Museum. (also embark on a journey formal) (=start a long journey)· Before setting off on a journey, look at maps and guidebooks.
(=a group of keys kept together)· He took out a huge bunch of keys and unlocked the door.
(also impose a limit formal)· Set a time limit for the completion of the task.
(=let something go free) Don’t let your dog loose on the beach.
Don’t let your dog loose on the beach. (=make them a particular size)· Set the margins to have one inch on each side.
(=when the cook decides which dishes will be served to you, rather than you choosing for yourself)· Dinner is three courses from a set menu.
(=goes down so that you cannot see it)· The moon had set, but the sky was clear.
Once the house had been sold, Jane set the wheels in motion (=started the process) to find somewhere smaller to live. (=decide what you are trying to achieve)· Pupils should be encouraged to set their own objectives.
(=starts)· Before panic could set in, she realised that the clock was fast.
(=one that does not change)· These incidents followed a set pattern.
(=that will not be changed)· A tourist visa allows you to stay for a fixed period.
· The decision is important as it could set a legal precedent for other similar cases.
Why don’t you order an extra set of prints?· Marriage isn’t very high on my list of priorities.
(=decide what the priorities are)· With any new project, it's important to set priorities.
(=organize it)· $30 million would be required to set up the project.
(=invent a question for a test)· He used to set the questions for a TV quiz show.
(=say how much it is)· They have the right to set fishing quotas.
(=achieve it for the first time)· The twenty-year-old set a new British record of 44.47 secs.
The police have set up roadblocks to try and catch the two men. British English (=a situation started to get worse) It was after he left the company that the rot set in.
It was after he left the company that the rot set in. Tom and I had a bit of a set-to last night. (=when someone washes your hair and then dries it so that it has a particular style, especially using curlers)
· The government sets standards that all hospitals must reach.
(=disappears at the end of the day)· It is a good place to sit and watch the sun go down.
(=the sun as it appears/disappears)· The fields were ablaze with light from the setting sun.
(=put knives, forks etc on a table before a meal)· The table was set for fourteen.
· The company has set ambitious business targets.
· I was given the task of writing the chairman's speech.
‘Hamlet’ is a set text (=one that must be studied for an examination) this year. British English The only way to catch mice is to set a trap. Police had set a trap for hooligans at the match. a new TV set· The young have a completely different set of values.
(=make it show the correct time)· I set my watch by the clock on the mantelpiece.
(=start work)· They set to work cutting down trees and brushwood.
The commission has set up a special working group to look at the problem. He set a new world record for the marathon.· The government intends to set up an enterprise zone in the region.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· The drive is transmitted into the adjacent mill building which houses two complete sets of grinding gear and allied crushers, etc.· Almed with this information, one is prepared to undertake a serious examination of a complete set of financial statements.· I tore up a complete set of the Encyclopedia Britannica once.· The show consists of a complete set of 33 etchings and aquatints of traditional rhymes.· The first issue was in 130 weekly parts at 2 % d. each, but apparently no complete set is recorded.· Also used to refer to a complete set of characters forming a family in a particular design or style.· Usually a complete set of information about the final result of the upstream cycle is transmitted to the downstream in one shot.· Now we can choose from several complete sets of his piano music, and here is another.
· Repeat the request at a later time or repeat the request with a different set of data.· Here was a set of fake brass handles incongruously mingled with a different set of pewter fixtures.· A different set of keys will produce a different set of synonyms, and of unused record spaces.· Mountaineering and race car driving, for example, require very different sets of capacities.· Repeat on different sets of needles, not in the same place, changing colours when you wish.· He or she has to have a very different skill set.· Four different sets of stimuli were used.· Throughout this chapter, I have demonstrated a different set of values and attitudes about reading.
· Nobody in the family seeks to find a full set of anything except, of course, books.· In creating new users a parent may grant subsets, up to the full set, of his own privileges to his descendants.· Nowadays, you know, a full set includes a card for every player in the major leagues.· Emily Jane Wood needed a full set of dentures at a cost of £6.· I never see a full set of plans.· Remember that a full set of weights is not essential for the routines.· I was lucky in that at least I had a full set of waterproofs.
· Sun Baojia has a new color set.· Using Prestel, Ceefax and other technological information systems demands a new set of location skills.· The changing economic, political and technological environment presents management with a new set of issues, requiring fresh approaches.· In general, however, it was simply reinterpreting in new language a set of ancient popular beliefs.· As part of this policy, Bancroft issued a new set of ecclesiastical canons in 1604.· Or perhaps a new set of laws will come into being, by some sort of quantum fluctuation.
· There are about 50 known neurotransmitters, each of which are used by a particular set of neurones.· All the neighboring values had been tested but this particular exact set of circumstances had not.· A particular set of social alliances and historical circumstances led to this specific version of nationalism.· Another possibility is that the noun descriptions suggest a particular set of activities which become dominant in addressing schemas for interpretation.· An aggro leader, for example, needs a particular set of clothes in order to maintain his image.· Normally organisers will allow you to re-weigh on another set of scales if you believe that a particular set is reading heavy.· Instead it will continue until the particular set of indexes have been applied, and then terminate.· Why might an attempt to explain a particular set of phenomena flounder?
· Each machine comes with a standard set of at least 35 different type-faces.· When Hill departed, Harris had to call on Primus as his replacement, and go back to a standard defensive set.· Proof correction marks a standard set of signs and symbols used in copy preparation and to indicate corrections on proofs.· The companies said they will share technology and develop a standard set of communication protocols.· Less than half the wines listed were selected for awards making the standard set one of the highest in the world.· But they were built to a safety standard set 30 years ago.· This approaches the standard set by the patient's charter.· The standard set of Spectrum keys have been added to in an intelligent way too.
· It was over in less than an hour with Christina winning in straight sets.· Edberg succumbed with minimal resistance, losing in straight sets.
· Ronnie Peterson, off-track, was a model of milk-drinking virtue and not unlike a whole set of happy-family cards.· I wanted a whole set of them.· The whole set of commands encapsulated in the visual procedure was then executed sequentially.· Some people paint whole sets of dishes, one per visit.· As it is easy to imagine, these changes produced a whole new set of issues.· This story can be the springboard to a whole set of tales about the lion and the mouse.· The three children were very rewarding in themselves but they created a whole new set of problems.· One day she had confiscated his ties and replaced them with a whole new set.
NOUN· The scene in the studio resembled a stage set for the problem of cultural displacement that I have just described.· Instead of looking at the stage set by genes, these researchers look at what people do.· She belonged in this stage set, among these lies.· It is barely bigger than a road on a stage set, and it disappears picturesquely around a bend.· Like ... like a stage set.· The cottage parlour looked like a stage set.
· Ten-year-old Bart and eight-year-old Lisa regularly hug their television set, often in preference to their parents.· A television set rested on an antique pine blanket-chest at the foot of the bed.· More than 32 million households in the region own a television set, which creates a potential audience of 100 million people.· A television set is in the center of comfortable chairs and sofas.· The television set demands your attention; you can not enjoy television from the next room.· A television set was placed at the end of the purple couch, right at arm level.· His son Lutz was still at home, slumped for ever in front of the television set.· Margotte rarely turned on the television set.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► set things aright► put/set the cat among the pigeons► a closed set (of something)► the jet set► on your mark(s), get set, go!► put/lay/set down a marker► set/put somebody straight► be written/set/cast in tablets of stone► set the Thames on fire► set tongues wagging► set the wheels in motion/set the wheels turning► (set of) wheels
1group of things [countable] a group of similar things that belong together or are related in some wayset of- He hated the set of different faces glaring up at him night after night.
- Her husband's brow furrowed as he noted the set of her face.
- Something in the set of his shoulders suggested that his pursuers were not far behind.
- Such seriousness and ambition in a very young man set him apart.
- The new software was a unique tool that set the Microsoft Network apart from other commercial online services.
- A penchant for setting oneself apart and above mere mortals.
- BAs gloomy as this prospect might be, it also set us apart.
- I was the first, but beyond that I see nothing to set me apart from anyone else.
- Such seriousness, intensity, and power in a young man set him apart and left an impression on others.
- They seemed to bend at the knee, setting their feet apart so that they could never be off balance when they moved.
- What set it apart was the way irrigation and power production were linked.
- What sets it apart is where it comes from.
- Ali MacGraw set the ball rolling with Love Story.
- And laughter is infectious ... so a little bit of effort on the small screen could start the ball rolling.
- Does that make a difference, or did he and others just start the ball rolling?
- He will keep the ball rolling.
- Her words started the ball rolling.
- To start the ball rolling, the government was asked to contribute £1 million.
- Volume 2 deals with general idioms e.g. keep the ball rolling, the proof of the pudding.
- Wolves play a similar style, and at times one yearned for some one to set the ball rolling ... literally.
- Bedford disliked Halsey the minute he set eyes on him.
- How could she possibly know, since he had not set eyes on the girl?
- I bonded on the second night I laid eyes on Hyakutake.
- Just hours earlier she had set eyes on the pretty two-year-old and sister Anna-Camilla, seven, for the first time.
- Never anywhere have I set eyes on such a one.
- No sooner did she set eyes on the gentleman than she recognised his pecuniary position to be merely temporary.
- The couple fell in love before they had even set eyes on each other during a six-month long distance courtship.
- Alternatively, the rule-makers can set their faces against the pressures for change.
- Does the hon. Gentleman really want to set his face against the improvements that trust status could deliver?
- I would set my face against the casualisation of the Corporation.
- It has set its face against cutting prices.
- The Lord Chancellor set his face against growing criticism over his behaviour.
- The last time Molly set foot in that house was 26 years ago.
- After she sued, Harvard said it would file criminal trespass charges against Garzilli if she sets foot in the department.
- As soon as I set foot in there, I knew that I had to be involved somehow.
- August paid off the bank, then never set foot in New Albion or Lake Wobegon again.
- However, he had never set foot in the village again.
- Louis Johnson came to despise the Alsops and ordered Pentagon reception desks to inform him whenever they set foot in the building.
- She had set foot in Skipton and passed through Keighley, but these were small country towns.
- Streetsmart in Jersey City, many have never set foot in the big town across the Hudson.
- The moment I set foot in this house, my world turned upside down.
- He's set his heart on a new bike for Christmas.
- By January 1768 they were back in Vienna, where Leopold had set his heart on securing an opera commission for Wolfgang.
- He's always set his heart on going to Simon's school.
- He was not a man to give way easily and he had clearly set his heart on making her recognise her father.
- I have held no office because Thou did not will it, and I never set my heart on office.
- So now, after all, there was something she had set her heart on.
- But Apple first must get its house in order.
- Commissioners are satisfied with the progress it is making to put its house in order.
- Following numerous complaints the Vicar of Woodford has been told to put his house in order.
- Henry had set his house in order but had no thoughts about setting off on crusade.
- Others have called on the council to step in and tell the firm to put its house in order.
- The Law Society no longer can support equally those who have put their house in order and those who have not.
- He rarely left the Brooklyn apartment where he had set up house.
- Her parents were very upset when she set up house with her boyfriend.
- They first set up house together in Atlanta and moved to Miami three years later.
- And he set up house for her in a bungalow further along the river, in a nice secluded part.
- Diana and I were soon to set up house in Shepherd's Bush and our fortunes were inextricable for the next decade.
- He had even established a system for sending money home to their families once they had set up house in this country.
- I have to save enough money to set up house.
- The two new Mr and Mrs Kim-Soons set up house next door.
- They set up house in No. 93, which was now to let.
- A spark can just as easily set light to your clothes as it can to a dryer full of washing.
- Flames set light to his jacket and Mr Williams was helped into a nearby toilet where his hands were drenched with water.
- My father had twice set light to the form.
- That spark can set light to further proposals, ideas and chances in the manager's mind.
- The police set light to it.
- The vandals broke into the house, piled the cooker with linen then switched it on and set light to it.
- Would we leave a thing like that when any kiddy could knock the chocks out or set light to it?
- Youths fired an arrow through the window of one house and set light to another in an attempt to silence them.
- Just to put your mind at ease, we will get a second opinion from a cardiac specialist.
- The doctor set my mind at rest by explaining exactly what effect the drug would have on me.
- But let me set your mind at rest.
- But she'd like to see him, to try and set her mind at rest.
- He's been very kind to me and Lily, as regards putting our minds at rest about Stella.
- He's unlikely to know how you feel, and until he does, he can't put your mind at rest.
- He must set their minds at rest about the Freddie affair, because they knew of Freddie.
- I wish I could put their minds at rest.
- It puts my mind at rest.
- Quite often, all that is required is a friendly chat to put your mind at rest.
- A second glance put my mind to rest, but for a moment there it gave me a turn.
- Across the table, Lalage put her mind to the subjugation of Dada.
- Anybody could do what I do if they put their mind to it.
- But he can turn his mind to detailed needs, like pensions, if he has to.
- He would put his mind to other issues, one of which was sobering in its own right.
- I turned my mind to Archie.
- Whatever you set your mind to, your personal total obsession, this is what kills you.
- When Medea knew the deed was done she turned her mind to one still more dreadful.
- The discovery set in motion two days of searching for the bodies.
- A tiny pilot light, if you like, that was necessary to set everything else in motion.
- Corot set the countryside in motion.
- He has set the ball in motion.
- How easy to see how a white kid could set this in motion with hardly any effort.
- It is both wasteful and irresponsible to set experiments in motion and omit to record and analyse what happens.
- Oliver corrected the clock and set it in motion.
- On Jan. 13, Vega said, Guzman set his plot in motion.
- The programme had lost the man responsible for setting it in motion.
- She sat at the piano for hours, putting one of her poems to music.
- The Greek tragedy "Elektra" was set to music by Richard Strauss.
- But if you have an extremely subtle story, how are you going to set it to music?
- For Robin, a place to put mind to music.
- What were you going to do, set it to music?
- For most of the nineties, we were setting the pace in mobile phone technology.
- He or she controls the room and sets the pace.
- It is true that Newt Gingrich's Republicans set the pace.
- Pharmaceutical companies were the top-performing stocks in 1995 and set the pace today.
- They've got stronger since then and have set the pace in the championship race this season.
- This should result in fundholders setting the pace and others benefiting.
- Thus, the infant is setting the pace.
- Your rhythm should set the pace of the fight.
- Zeta's Lad set the pace.
- And striker Geoff Ferris is likely to put pen to paper for 12 months.
- Good old-fashioned motives for putting pen to paper.
- He then put pen to paper, and soon a stream of adjectives was flowing.
- I had written a very fine book in my head before arriving, without setting pen to paper.
- I have put pen to paper sparingly, aware that pictures speak louder than words.
- In February of 1942 and again in May of that year he had put pen to paper and logged his past.
- So if you are fun-loving and open-minded, put pen to paper.
- So why not put pen to paper and win a wardrobe of fashions.
- Having set the record straight there is a paradox.
- He sets the record straight by a thorough reconsideration of Addison's Cato, that tragedy constantly overrated at the time.
- I want to set the record straight.
- Or a desire to put the record straight?
- Taylor was given the perfect platform to set the record straight at yesterday's press conference.
- They have a duty to set the record straight, otherwise they are conniving at falsehood.
- But let me set your mind at rest.
- But she'd like to see him, to try and set her mind at rest.
- He's been very kind to me and Lily, as regards putting our minds at rest about Stella.
- He's unlikely to know how you feel, and until he does, he can't put your mind at rest.
- He must set their minds at rest about the Freddie affair, because they knew of Freddie.
- I wish I could put their minds at rest.
- It puts my mind at rest.
- Quite often, all that is required is a friendly chat to put your mind at rest.
- We set sail at sunrise.
- Backwards Pretend you are a beginner who has inadvertently forgotten which end of the board is forwards and set sail going backwards.
- But even if you only set sail in a comfy chair, this discussion is richly detailed in its own right.
- He hastened back to the ship and bade his crew set sail.
- In particular, on days of ill-omen ships could not set sail.
- It is small wonder that the idea of setting sail for an un-known land grew less and less attractive to him.
- On renouncing alcohol he was pardoned and he set sail for Darlington where he became a leading light in the Society.
- The fisherman cut their lines and set sail for port, but the sea serpent continued to follow them.
- The vessel set sail late Tuesday for an undisclosed destination, the news agency said.
- Government tanks rolled into town, setting the scene for a bloody battle.
- Recent events have set the scene for a potentially violent confrontation between the demonstrators and the army.
- The negotiations in Geneva have set the scene for a possible agreement later in the year.
- Annan set the scene for the introduction of Channel 4.
- But three key findings have set the scene for subsequent debate on the system.
- Concern about a baby's bowel movements can set the scene for concern and anxiety.
- Kasparov's reply, 19 a3, set the scene for a dramatic and cliffhanging duel.
- Let's first set the scene.
- The interpretation of Mannheim's project that von Schelting initiated set the scene for its incorporation into mainstream functionalist sociology.
- You set the scene, as it were, for your presentation and then proceed to follow the pattern laid down.
- His three-day tour set the seal on reconciliation between the two communities.
- It set the seal on his depression; he was almost ready to go home.
- Dr. Rosen closed his downtown practice and set up shop in a suburban neighborhood.
- Jack got his law degree, then set up shop as a real estate lawyer.
- At the age of 22 he set up shop in Sweeting's Alley, which was near the Royal Exchange.
- Each failed when a dispute arose and some group walked out of the union to set up shop down the block.
- My body and the kindly Earth have set up shop against me.
- NxtWave opted not to set up shop in Silicon Valley and instead chose Langhorne.
- S., new steel mills are setting up shop.
- The two Yankees started the business set up shop right where you see it.
- Wade Smith was given salesman of the year in January and promptly left to set up shop on his own.
- Graham has no plans to fly this aircraft at present and will put it to one side as soon as assembly and testing is complete.
- She put it to one side, and opened the folder of photographs.
- But later the deputies set the stage for possible compromise by agreeing to debate a referendum after all.
- But that simply set the stage for a final, beautiful flourish from Robins.
- Each stage of development effectively sets the stage for the next.
- That sets the stage for the matrix arrangement.
- The changes that occurred as a result of this rethinking set the stage for Workplace 2000.
- The vote set the stage for a government-wide review and partial rollback of affirmative action programs.
- Thus, it further sets the stage for later discussion of the other four pillars.
- Being thus disappointed, I now set great store by what the first night might bring.
- Bourbon producers set great store by the soft local water which passes through limestone on its way to the distilleries.
- Britain had previously set great store by the Lisbon economic summit two years ago, but progress has subsequently been slow.
- He had worked for the same engineering firm for thirty years and he had always set great store by the company pension.
- It apparently sets great store by creating business and completing assignments relatively quickly.
- Organizations which set great store by behavioural conformity often develop patterns of operation which can appear ridiculous in their manifestations.
- The ancient Israelites set great store by proper burial.
- His high-pitched squeaky voice set my teeth on edge.
- At other times their self-evident frustration sets your teeth on edge.
- He w as filing arrow heads, and the sound of the metal on the whetstone set Burun's teeth on edge.
- It was all done so genteelly that it set McAllister's teeth on edge.
- That set our teeth on edge and bring our goose pimples rising like porpoises after mackerel.
- It is easy to make him look personally responsible for setting the process in train and bringing it to fruition.
- Why, oh, why did you set such enquiries in train?
- Larger corporations are setting the trend for better maternity benefits.
- To save the planet we must set the trend of caring for the environment.
- Young backpackers set the trend, and now people of all ages are looking for cheap ways to travel around Southeast Asia.
- But although the sensationally styled Calibra sets the trend, it is by no means the only exponent of the field.
- It caught on over here some years later with the Seven Men of Preston setting the trend.
- The bank rate sets the trend for home, vehicle and other consumer loans.
- The rate, which sets the trend for home and other consumer loans, is now at its lowest since November 1994.
- And now we have Sliver which was the subject of much wrangling and hasn't exactly set the world on fire.
- But if Rhodes hasn't set the world on fire with his batting, he certainly has with his fielding.
- Either way, the speed and acceleration is not going to set the world on fire.
- It was a lovely accomplishment, of course, but nothing to set the world on fire with.
- None of the three papers was going to set the world on fire.
- The sonorities glow, and the whole thing is user-friendly without setting the world on fire.
- He wanted to put the world to rights.
- More recently Lou has cleaned up his act and started setting the world to rights.
- That straightness of Time, that confining straightness, was one with the Western picture of setting the world to rights.
a set of tools We face a new set of problems. The older generation have a different set of values. a chess set2television/radio [countable] a television, or a piece of equipment for receiving radio signals: a colour television set3film [countable] a place where a film or television programme is filmedon set/on the set Cruise met Kidman on the set of ‘Days of Thunder’.4stage [countable] the scenery, furniture etc used on a stage in a play or in the place where a film or television show is being made5sport [countable] one part of a game such as tennis or volleyball: Nadal won the second set 6–4.6people [singular] a group of people who are similar in some way and spend time together socially: a favourite meeting place of the smart set (=rich and fashionable people) Val got in with a wild set at college. → jet set7 the set of somebody’s face/jaw/shoulders etc the expression on your face or the way you hold your body, which tells people how you are feeling: From the set of her shoulders, it was clear that Sue was exhausted. the hard set of his face8music [countable] a performance by a singer, band, or disc jockey: Sasha performed a three-hour set.9maths [countable] technical a group of numbers, shapes etc in mathematics: The set (x, y) has two members.10students [countable] British English a group of children who are taught a particular school subject together because they have the same level of ability in that subject SYN streamtop/bottom etc set Adam’s in the top set for maths.11onion [countable] a small onion that you plant in order to grow bigger ones: onion setsset1 verbset2 nounset3 adjective
setset3 ●○○ adjective WORD ORIGINset3
Origin:
1200-1300 Past participle of ➔ SET1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The company will match your donations to charity, up to a set limit.
- Workers earn a set amount for each piece they sew.
- By looking for a set result you are excluding all the learning potential from the exercise.
- Organized ski treks exist, their routes following set trails with accommodation enroute.
- So it is very difficult to achieve what one might call a set pattern in life.
- The Designer's floor model and plans would be complete with set construction hopefully under way.
- There is no set pattern for this.
- They each travel in their own set pattern, but don't assume they're easy to avoid!
- Unfortunately, few activities can be shut down for set periods, most being operational all the year round.
Longman Language Activatorwhen you are ready to do something
if you are ready for something, you have done everything that needs to be done in order to prepare for it: · Are you ready? The taxi's here.· When everyone is ready, I'll give the signal to start.ready for: · I don't feel that I'm ready for the test yet.ready to do something: · Everything is packed and we're ready to leave.get ready (=prepare yourself to do something): · That's settled then. I'll go and get ready.· My sister always spends hours getting ready to go out.· It was soon time for the actors to get ready for the evening performance.ready and waiting: · The wedding guests were all ready and waiting long before the bride arrived.ready when you are (=I am ready to do something as soon as you are): · "Shall we go then?" "Yes, ready when you are."
ready to deal with a situation, because you were expecting it or because you have made careful preparations: prepared for: · The police were prepared for trouble.· I was not prepared for all the questions they asked.well prepared: · The team was well prepared and focussed on the issues.
to be ready and eager to start doing something: · On Christmas Day, the kids are always up and ready to go at 6 o'clock.· If everyone's ready to go, let's get started.
to be ready to start doing something that you have planned to do and want to do: · Dad got on his bike. "Are you all set?" he called.be all set for: · The team are all set for another comfortable victory.be all set to do something: · We were all set to start the barbecue when it started to rain.
if an organization or group of people are geared up for something that is going to happen, they have made careful plans so that they can deal with it as soon as it happens: be geared up for: · There are clear signs that the governor is geared up for a second attempt at the White House.be geared up to do something: · Companies that survive are the ones that are geared up to meet the demands of the future.get geared up: · The airport was getting geared up to deal with a heavier schedule of flights.
if you do something in readiness for something that you expect will happen, you do it so that you will be ready: · As the conflict grew worse, troops waited in readiness at the borders.in readiness for: · A new stage and seating area has been built in readiness for tonight's sell-out performance.
spoken used to tell someone who is impatient for you to do something that you will not do it until your are ready: · Dad says he'll come when he's good and ready.· Leave me alone! I'll tell her when I'm good and ready.
American spoken to have completed all the necessary preparations and be ready to start doing something: · We just need to get you a pair of skis and you're good to go.· "Do you have all the hiking gear?" "Yeah, I'm good to go."
to be in a suitable condition to be ready for something, especially a positive change: · Economists regard the region as being ripe for development.· After the divorce I was thoroughly fed up and ripe for a new start, so I agreed to take the job.
WORD SETSabalone, nounacetic acid, nounadditive, nounaftertaste, nounà la carte, adjectiveal dente, adjectivealfresco, adjectiveambrosia, nounangelica, nounaniseed, nounantipasto, nounappetizer, nounarrowroot, nounbad, adjectivebaker, nounbaking powder, nounbaking soda, nounbanana split, nounbanger, nounbanquet, nounbanqueting hall, nounbarbie, nounbarley, nounbasil, nounbass, nounbatch, nounbay leaf, nounBBQ, nounbean, nounbean curd, nounbeansprout, nounbeef, nounbeefburger, nounbeefsteak, nounbeet, nounbell pepper, nounberry, nounbetel, nounbetel nut, nounbicarbonate of soda, nounbilberry, nounbill of fare, nounbinge, nounbinge, verbbistro, nounblackberry, nounblack-eyed bean, nounblack pepper, nounblack pudding, nounblend, verbblend, nounblueberry, nounboard, nounbolt, verbbone, verbbon vivant, nounbony, adjectivebox lunch, nounbramble, nounbran, nounbrandy butter, nounbrasserie, nounbrawn, nounbreakfast, nounbrisket, nounbroiler, nounbroiler chicken, nounbroth, nounbrown rice, nounbrunch, nounbubble gum, nounbuckwheat, nounbuffet, nounbun, nounbus, verbbusboy, nounbutcher, nounbutcher, verbbutchery, nounbuttercream, nounbutty, nouncafé, nouncafeteria, nouncaff, nouncaffeine, nouncake, nouncan, verbcandy, nouncanned, adjectivecapon, nouncapsicum, nouncaraway, nouncarbohydrate, nouncare package, nouncarvery, nouncassava, nouncater, verbcaterer, nouncatering, nouncatsup, nouncatwalk, nouncayenne pepper, nouncereal, nouncheese, nounchef, nouncherry tomato, nounchickpea, nounchilli, nounChinese, nounchip shop, nounchives, nounchocolate, nounchocolatey, adjectiveChristmas dinner, nounchuck steak, nouncitric acid, nouncitron, nounclotted cream, nounclub sandwich, nouncob, nouncobbler, nouncocoa, nouncocoa bean, nouncoconut milk, nouncoffee house, nouncoffee shop, nouncold cuts, nouncold storage, nouncold store, nouncommissary, nounconcentrate, nouncondensed milk, nouncondiment, nouncone, nounconfection, nounconfectioner, nounconfectioner's sugar, nounconfectionery, nounconserve, nouncontent, nouncontinental breakfast, nounconvenience food, nouncook-chill, adjectivecooker, nouncookie, nouncooking, nouncooking oil, nouncorn bread, nouncorn chip, nouncorncob, nouncorned beef, nouncornet, nouncornflakes, nouncornflour, nouncornmeal, nouncorn on the cob, nouncorn pone, nouncornstarch, nouncorn syrup, nouncottage cheese, nouncotton candy, nouncourgette, nouncourse, nouncover charge, nouncrab, nouncrab apple, nouncracker, nouncrackling, nouncranberry, nouncrayfish, nouncream, nouncream cheese, nouncream cracker, nouncreamer, nouncreamy, adjectivecress, nouncrisp, nouncrisp, adjectivecrispbread, nouncrispy, adjectivecroissant, nouncroquette, nouncrouton, nouncrumb, nouncrumpet, nouncrunchy, adjectivecrust, nouncrusty, adjectivecrystallized, adjectivecucumber, nouncud, nouncuisine, nouncupcake, nouncurd, nouncurdle, verbcurrant, nouncustard, nouncut, nouncutlet, noundainty, nounDanish pastry, noundate, noundefrost, verbdelicacy, noundemerara sugar, noundesiccated, adjectivedevilled, adjectivedevour, verbdiabetic, adjectivedigest, verbdigestible, adjectivedill, noundill pickle, noundine, verbdiner, noundining car, noundinner, noundinner dance, noundinner party, noundinner theater, noundinnertime, noundissolve, verbdoggy bag, noundoily, noundollop, noundough, noundown, verbdrain, verbdredge, verbdried, adjectivedried fruit, noundripping, noundrumstick, noundry goods, noundunk, verbEaster egg, nouneat, verbeatery, nouneating apple, nouneats, nounEccles cake, nounéclair, nounEdam, nounedible, adjectiveeel, nounegg, nouneggplant, nounegg roll, nounelevenses, nounendive, nounEnglish breakfast, nounEnglish muffin, nounentrée, nounepicure, nounescalope, nounevaporated milk, nounfast food, nounfeed, verbfeed, nounfeta cheese, nounfig, nounfilbert, nounfillet, verbfilling, adjectivefilling, nounfilo, nounflounder, nounfloury, adjectiveflyblown, adjectivefoil, nounfoodstuff, nounforage, nounfork, verbfortify, verbfreeze-dried, adjectiveFrench bean, nounFrench bread, nounFrench dressing, nounFrench fry, nounFrench loaf, nounFrench stick, nounfries, nounfromage frais, nounfrozen, adjectivefruit, nounfudge, nounfull-fat, adjectivegaram masala, noungarlic, noungarnish, noungarnish, verbgastronomic, adjectivegastronomy, noungel, verbginger, nounglass, nounglassware, noungolden raisin, noungoody, noungourmand, noungrain, nounGranary, adjectivegranulated, adjectivegreasy, adjectivegreasy spoon, noungreen, adjectivegrill, noungristle, noungrocer, nounground, adjectiveground beef, noungrub, noungruel, nounguava, noungum, noungumball, noungumbo, noungumdrop, nounhalal, adjectivehalibut, nounham, nounhamburger, nounhaunch, nounhead table, nounhealth food, nounheart, nounhearty, adjectiveheat, nounherb, nounhigh tea, nounhome economics, nounhot dish, nounhygiene, nounhygienic, adjectiveiceman, nounindigestible, adjectiveindigestion, nouninedible, adjectiveinfected, adjectiveingest, verbinn, nouninsipid, adjectiveintake, nounirradiate, verbjellied, adjectivejoint, nounjuice, nounjuicy, adjectivejunk, nounjunk food, nounknuckle, nounkosher, adjectivelaxative, nounlean, adjectiveleavings, nounleg, nounlight, adjectiveliquorice, nounlive, adjectiveloaf, nounlocker, nounloin, nounlotus, nounlukewarm, adjectivelump, nounlunch, nounlunch, verblunchbox, nounlunch break, nounluncheon, nounlunch hour, nounlunchroom, nounlunchtime, nounluscious, adjectivemace, nounMadeira cake, nounmain course, nounmaitre d', nounmaize, nounmandarin, nounmandarin orange, nounmangetout, nounmango, nounmaple syrup, nounmargarine, nounmarge, nounmarmalade, nounmarrow, nounmarshmallow, nounMason jar, nounmasticate, verbmature, adjectivemature, verbmeal, nounmealie, nounmealtime, nounmealy, adjectivemeat, nounmeat-packing, nounmeaty, adjectivemellow, adjectivementhol, nounmentholated, adjectivemenu, nounmess, nounmess, verbmess hall, nounmilk chocolate, nounmillet, nounmince, nounmint, nounmocha, nounmolasses, nounmoreish, adjectivemorsel, nounmouldy, adjectivemouth, nounmouthful, nounMSG, nounmunch, verbmung bean, nounmush, nounmushroom, nounmustard, nounnibble, verbnibble, nounnosh, nounnourish, verbnourishment, nounnugget, nounnut, nounnutcracker, nounnutshell, nounnutty, adjectiveoatmeal, nounoats, nounoffal, nounokra, nounon, prepositiononion, nounorder, nounoregano, nounorganic, adjectiveoverindulge, verboxtail, nounpackaging, nounpacker, nounpap, nounparcel, nounpaste, nounpastille, nounpastry, nounpatisserie, nounpearl barley, nounpectin, nounpeel, verbpeel, nounpepper, nounpepper, verbpeppercorn, nounpeppermint, nounperishable, adjectivepetit four, nounpiccalilli, nounpicnic, nounpicnic, verbpie, nounpilaff, nounpilau, nounpimento, nounpinto bean, nounpit, nounpizza parlor, nounpizzeria, nounplain chocolate, nounplain flour, nounploughman's lunch, nounpoor boy, nounpork, nounpork pie, nounpork rinds, nounporridge, nounporterhouse steak, nounportion, nounpostprandial, adjectivepotato, nounpotato crisp, nounpotted, adjectivepoultry, nounpraline, nounprawn, nounprepacked, adjectivepreservative, nounpreserve, verbpreserve, nounpretzel, nounprovision, verbprune, nounpuff pastry, nounpumpernickel, nounpumpkin, nounpuree, verbquince, nounQuorn, nounrabbit, nounrancid, adjectiverare, adjectiveravenous, adjectiveraw, adjectivered meat, nounreheat, verbrennet, nounrepast, nounreplete, adjectiverestaurant, nounrestaurant car, nounrestaurateur, nounrib, nounrice, nounrigatoni, nounrind, nounripe, adjectiveroadhouse, nounrock, nounroe, nounroll, nounroot vegetable, nounrose hip, nounrusk, nounrutabaga, nounsaccharin, nounsalad cream, nounsalad dressing, nounsalami, nounsalmon, nounsalsa, nounsalt, verbsalt, adjectivesalty, adjectivesandwich, nounsardine, nounsassafras, nounsatisfying, adjectivesatsuma, nounsauerkraut, nounsausage, nounscallion, nounscampi, nounscone, nounscoop, nounScotch broth, nounscratchings, nounseafood, nounseasoned, adjectiveseed, verbsemolina, nounservery, nounservice charge, nounserving, nounset, adjectiveshallot, nounshellfish, nounsherbet, nounshish kebab, nounshortbread, nounshortcake, nounshortcrust pastry, nounshoulder, nounshrimp cocktail, nounside order, nounsillabub, nounsimnel cake, nounsingle cream, nounsirloin, nounsitting, nounskimmed milk, nounskin, nounskin, verbslaw, nounslice, nounsliced bread, nounsloe, nounsloppy joe, nounsmorgasbord, nounsnack bar, nounsnow pea, nounsoda fountain, nounsodium chloride, nounsoft fruit, nounsorghum, nounsoul food, nounsour, adjectivesour, verbsourdough, nounsoya, nounsoya bean, nounspearmint, nounspinach, nounsponge, nounsponge cake, nounsponge pudding, nounspoon, verbspoonful, nounspotted dick, nounspread, nounspring onion, nounspring roll, nounsprout, nounspud, nounsquash, nounsquid, nounstaple, nounstarfruit, nounstarter, nounsteak, nounsteakhouse, nounsteak tartare, nounstew, nounstick, nounStilton, nounstir-fry, verbstodge, nounstone-ground, adjectivestrawberry, nounstring bean, nounstringy, adjectivestrudel, nounsub, nounsucrose, nounsuet, nounsugar, nounsugar, verbsugar-coated, adjectivesugar cube, nounsugar lump, nounsugary, adjectivesultana, nounsun-dried, adjectivesup, verbsupper, nounsustenance, nounswallow, verbswallow, nounswede, nounsweetcorn, nounsweetened condensed milk, nounsweetener, nounsweetmeat, nounsweet pepper, nounsweet potato, nounsyrup, nounsyrupy, adjectivetable d'hôte, nountaco, nountaffy, nountainted, adjectivetakeaway, nountakeout, nountangerine, nountapas, nountapioca, nountaramasalata, nountariff, nountart, nountartare sauce, nountaste, verbtasteless, adjectivetaster, nountasting, nountater, nountattie, nounT-bone steak, nountea, nounteacake, nountender, adjectivetin, nountinned, adjectivetitbit, nountoffee apple, nountofu, nountomato, nountongue, nountop, nountopping, nountop round, nountopside, nountop table, nountortilla, nountough, adjectivetransport cafe, nountreacle, nountrifle, nountripe, nountrotter, nountruck stop, nountruffle, nountub, nountuna, nounturkey, nounTurkish delight, nounturnip, nounturnover, nountutti frutti, nounTV dinner, nounTVP, noununadulterated, adjectiveunleavened, adjectiveunpalatable, adjectivevacuum-packed, adjectivevanilla, nounveal, nounvegan, nounvegetable, nounvegetarian, nounvegetarianism, nounveggie, nounvenison, nounvictual, verbvictuals, nounvoracious, adjectivevoucher, nounwaiter, nounwaitress, nounwalnut, noun-ware, suffixwarmed-over, adjectivewedge, nounwell, nounwell-done, adjectivewell-fed, adjectivewet fish, nounwheat, nounwhite, nounwhite flour, nounwhite pepper, nounwhite sauce, nounwholefood, nounwholemeal, adjectivewhole wheat, adjectivewiener, nounwild rice, nounwishbone, nounwrap, nounyeast extract, nounyoghurt, nounyogurt, nounyolk, nounyule log, nounyummy, adjectivezucchini, nounzwieback, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Are you all set for the trip? Get set (=get ready) for a night of excitement. On your marks, get set, go (=said to start a race). The government’s dead set (=completely determined) against the plan. People had very set ideas about how to bring up children. Mark was 65 and rather set in his ways (=habits). The hotel does a very good set menu. ‘Damn you,’ he said through set teeth.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The factory had been set ablaze (=made to burn). One of the boats had been set afire. The car was set alight and pushed over a hill. I’ve been setting aside a few pounds each week. One of the rooms was set aside for a yoga class. Try to set aside a few hours a week for exercise. a boxed set of CDs The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars. The dial on the heater was set to ‘HOT’. Someone set off the fire alarm. Jeff and David were in the back yard setting off fireworks. They have called on the government to set all political prisoners free. If you want old-world tradition in an idyllic setting, this is the hotel for you. The collection has been moved from its intimate setting to the British Museum. Once the house had been sold, Jane set the wheels in motion (=started the process) to find somewhere smaller to live. Why don’t you order an extra set of prints? The police have set up roadblocks to try and catch the two men. Tom and I had a bit of a set-to last night. ‘Hamlet’ is a set text (=one that must be studied for an examination) this year. British English The only way to catch mice is to set a trap. Police had set a trap for hooligans at the match. a new TV set The commission has set up a special working group to look at the problem. He set a new world record for the marathon.
Are you all set for the trip? Get set (=get ready) for a night of excitement. On your marks, get set, go (=said to start a race). The government’s dead set (=completely determined) against the plan. People had very set ideas about how to bring up children. Mark was 65 and rather set in his ways (=habits). The hotel does a very good set menu. ‘Damn you,’ he said through set teeth. The factory had been set ablaze (=made to burn). One of the boats had been set afire. (=decide on the problems you want to deal with)· The new government set an agenda for constitutional reform.
· Is there a set of guidelines setting out the aims of study?
· The organization has a set of aims which are listed on its website.
(=make it start ringing)· A window blew open, setting off the alarm.
(=make it ready to operate)· Did you set the burglar alarm?
The car was set alight and pushed over a hill. I’ve been setting aside a few pounds each week. One of the rooms was set aside for a yoga class. Try to set aside a few hours a week for exercise. (=say how much someone must pay to be allowed to stay out of prison)· Judge Philip Moscone set bail at $2 million.
(also detonate a bomb formal) (=make a bomb explode)· The area was cleared and the police safely detonated the bomb.
a boxed set of CDs· The bank gave me a loan to help me set up in business.
· When you’re starting a business, you have to work longer hours.
(=make a camera ready to use)· The team set up their cameras some distance from the animals.
(=put up your tents and arrange the camping place)· The soldiers set up camp outside the city.
The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars. (=a complete group of the different chess pieces)· She gave him a beautifully carved wooden chess set.
· This was a very unusual set of circumstances.
(=make it say the right time)· Don’t forget to set your clocks to summer time.
· The accident happened because of a string of unfortunate coincidences.
· They set up a commission to investigate the problem of youth crime.
· The council appointed a special committee to study the issue.
· Two years later he started his own software company.
(=adjust it so that the needle and the north mark are in line with each other)· Wait until the needle settles, then set the compass.
(=say what someone must agree to)· They laid down certain conditions before agreeing to the ceasefire.
(=consider something in context)· The issue must be placed within its historical context.
· In the East you will have to learn a different set of conventions.
· A National Radio and Television Council was established to regulate the market.
· Doctors use an established set of criteria for making a diagnosis.
· a set of beautiful blue coffee cups
(=one group of data)· The three sets of data produced strikingly different results.
(=decide the date when something will happen)· They haven’t set a date for the election yet.
(=completely disapprove of or disagree with something)· I’d like to be an actress but Mum and Dad are dead set against it.
(=be determined to do something)· At the moment, Steve’s just dead set on winning the gold medal.
(=decide on a date when something must be finished)· The deadline has been set at January 31st.
(=be written down and described in detail)· The changes to the system are set out in detail in the next paragraph.
The dial on the heater was set to ‘HOT’. (=show by your own behaviour how other people should behave)· You should be setting an example for your little brother.
(also embark on an expedition formal) (=leave at the start of an expedition)· Trent set off on an expedition to collect plants with fellow botanical students.
(=cause an explosion)· Investigators believe a fuel leak may have triggered the explosion.
(=far back in someone’s face)· Mac’s eyebrows were thick and dark, above deep-set eyes.
(=close together)· He had a small nose and close-set eyes.
(=wide apart)· Claudette studied the wide-set eyes that looked so innocent.
(=a fee that is the same in every case)· You pay a flat fee for all the services that are provided.
(=make something start burning)· A candle fell over, setting fire to the curtains.
Someone set off the fire alarm. Jeff and David were in the back yard setting off fireworks. They have called on the government to set all political prisoners free.· They have set up a fund to build a memorial to all those who died.
(=decide what you or someone else should try to achieve)· It helps if you set yourself clear goals.
If you want old-world tradition in an idyllic setting, this is the hotel for you. (=start it)· Police launched an inquiry yesterday after a man was killed by a patrol car.
The collection has been moved from its intimate setting to the British Museum. (also embark on a journey formal) (=start a long journey)· Before setting off on a journey, look at maps and guidebooks.
(=a group of keys kept together)· He took out a huge bunch of keys and unlocked the door.
(also impose a limit formal)· Set a time limit for the completion of the task.
(=let something go free) Don’t let your dog loose on the beach.
Don’t let your dog loose on the beach. (=make them a particular size)· Set the margins to have one inch on each side.
(=when the cook decides which dishes will be served to you, rather than you choosing for yourself)· Dinner is three courses from a set menu.
(=goes down so that you cannot see it)· The moon had set, but the sky was clear.
Once the house had been sold, Jane set the wheels in motion (=started the process) to find somewhere smaller to live. (=decide what you are trying to achieve)· Pupils should be encouraged to set their own objectives.
(=starts)· Before panic could set in, she realised that the clock was fast.
(=one that does not change)· These incidents followed a set pattern.
(=that will not be changed)· A tourist visa allows you to stay for a fixed period.
· The decision is important as it could set a legal precedent for other similar cases.
Why don’t you order an extra set of prints?· Marriage isn’t very high on my list of priorities.
(=decide what the priorities are)· With any new project, it's important to set priorities.
(=organize it)· $30 million would be required to set up the project.
(=invent a question for a test)· He used to set the questions for a TV quiz show.
(=say how much it is)· They have the right to set fishing quotas.
(=achieve it for the first time)· The twenty-year-old set a new British record of 44.47 secs.
The police have set up roadblocks to try and catch the two men. British English (=a situation started to get worse) It was after he left the company that the rot set in.
It was after he left the company that the rot set in. Tom and I had a bit of a set-to last night. (=when someone washes your hair and then dries it so that it has a particular style, especially using curlers)
· The government sets standards that all hospitals must reach.
(=disappears at the end of the day)· It is a good place to sit and watch the sun go down.
(=the sun as it appears/disappears)· The fields were ablaze with light from the setting sun.
(=put knives, forks etc on a table before a meal)· The table was set for fourteen.
· The company has set ambitious business targets.
· I was given the task of writing the chairman's speech.
‘Hamlet’ is a set text (=one that must be studied for an examination) this year. British English The only way to catch mice is to set a trap. Police had set a trap for hooligans at the match. a new TV set· The young have a completely different set of values.
(=make it show the correct time)· I set my watch by the clock on the mantelpiece.
(=start work)· They set to work cutting down trees and brushwood.
The commission has set up a special working group to look at the problem. He set a new world record for the marathon.· The government intends to set up an enterprise zone in the region.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· In the first method, data were analysed against set criteria for hypoxia and tachycardia.· This dialogue box will search for data within set criteria, extract it and write it to a pre-defined output block.· Admission is obtained by written application, proving that you fulfil the set criteria.
· Buffet-style breakfast and lunch; set menu for dinner; mineral water flows from taps.· Buffet-style breakfast and lunch; set menu for dinner; self service taverna.· Dinner is a set menu of three courses.· Breakfast is continental, whilst dinner is three courses from a set menu.
· Costs can be reduced if films are supplied under contract for a set number each month.· There was only room in each circle for a set number of species.· Each boat would then be licensed by horsepower for a set number of days at sea based on a three-year track record.· In order to have a balanced diet, it's important to have a set number of units from each group each day.· A set number of categories will largely determine the specificity of the headings to be included in the index.
· As we have said, each piece will have its own form, so no set patterns or rules can be formulated.· The days of our falconry course had a set pattern.· So it is very difficult to achieve what one might call a set pattern in life.· They each travel in their own set pattern, but don't assume they're easy to avoid!· Nineteenth century Looe was governed by a set pattern of seasons related to the fishing.· The selling process essentially follows a set pattern that the salesperson learns from a manual.· There is no set pattern for this.· In contrast to this, the digestion of upper and lower isolated incisors follows no set pattern.
· Again, how many could be one in a set period of time would be measured.· As Chapter 4 showed, the need to complete a task within a set period may produce a negative attitude towards it.· Unfortunately, few activities can be shut down for set periods, most being operational all the year round.· Performance standards could be set for the team based on a percentage reduction in those losses over a set period.· Pro-format claim forms are completed at the end of a set period, eg one month.· It is not possible to prescribe a set period of time, for the need will vary in different situations.· You repay the money borrowed over a set period of time at a fixed monthly amount, which includes the interest.· In minutes, the computer will produce 18 columns of net and discounted cash flows presented over a set period of time.
· Remember all the goals scored from set pieces and corners the first season we came back up?· There have been few set pieces.· They were like set pieces in their ongoing battle that these days was devoid of any real malice.· He did his various pieces of mime which were set pieces.· Eleven minutes later Andrew McBride saw his set piece effort deflected past the post by a defender's stick.· We might think, in retrospect, that it was a set piece of rather obvious connivance.· Surely Deane is well-practised at set piece play.
· Each Player has a set price.
· And you had your instruments, your set squares and your T-squares and things.
· One of the set texts for Advent dealt with the birth of John the Baptist.
· There is a set time allowed for the council to receive comments on an application.· The evening meal is served at a set time and is cooked to cordonbleu standard by Martha and is served by candlelight.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► set to do something► deep-set/wide-set/close-set eyes► be set with gems/jewels etcPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► set things aright► put/set the cat among the pigeons► a closed set (of something)► the jet set► on your mark(s), get set, go!► put/lay/set down a marker► set/put somebody straight► be written/set/cast in tablets of stone► set the Thames on fire► set tongues wagging► set the wheels in motion/set the wheels turning► (set of) wheels
1placed [not before noun] being in the position that is mentionedset in/on/back etc- But not in his set books!
- Galsworthy was a set book: I felt I knew the Forsyte Saga by heart.
- One of the set texts for Advent dealt with the birth of John the Baptist.
- So was Naipaul, the writer of a book which was a classroom set text.
- When a graphics element is placed on a page there is now an option to set text wraparound.
- A pail of cold water for washing was set on the floor so that performers had to bend over to use it.
- Lance Rees was set on as he passed the sorting office in Withernsea, Humberside, on his way to school.
- Manuel Perez's brother left after his house was set on fire.
- Margarett set upon the package, tearing at its wrappings, only to find beneath it another carton, then still another.
- Once again I detect a false opposition: an idealised reality set against the alien forces of darkness.
- They were hacked to death and their bodies set on fire.
- Time limits may be set on how long employees can leave their goods in storage and receive reimbursement from their employers.
- Were the limits set on their radiation exposure acceptable?
- Teng is thought to have her sights set on the Board of Supervisors' presidency.
- But do the public have their sights set on an Urbanizer?
- If you have your hearts set on a joint endowment, you have two alternatives to cashing in the present one.
- Many of the Keishinkai parents have their hearts set on Keio.
- Movie sniper Jude Law and Rachel Weisz are covered in mud but still have their sights set on desire.
- Such seriousness and ambition in a very young man set him apart.
- The new software was a unique tool that set the Microsoft Network apart from other commercial online services.
- A penchant for setting oneself apart and above mere mortals.
- BAs gloomy as this prospect might be, it also set us apart.
- I was the first, but beyond that I see nothing to set me apart from anyone else.
- Such seriousness, intensity, and power in a young man set him apart and left an impression on others.
- They seemed to bend at the knee, setting their feet apart so that they could never be off balance when they moved.
- What set it apart was the way irrigation and power production were linked.
- What sets it apart is where it comes from.
- Ali MacGraw set the ball rolling with Love Story.
- And laughter is infectious ... so a little bit of effort on the small screen could start the ball rolling.
- Does that make a difference, or did he and others just start the ball rolling?
- He will keep the ball rolling.
- Her words started the ball rolling.
- To start the ball rolling, the government was asked to contribute £1 million.
- Volume 2 deals with general idioms e.g. keep the ball rolling, the proof of the pudding.
- Wolves play a similar style, and at times one yearned for some one to set the ball rolling ... literally.
- Bedford disliked Halsey the minute he set eyes on him.
- How could she possibly know, since he had not set eyes on the girl?
- I bonded on the second night I laid eyes on Hyakutake.
- Just hours earlier she had set eyes on the pretty two-year-old and sister Anna-Camilla, seven, for the first time.
- Never anywhere have I set eyes on such a one.
- No sooner did she set eyes on the gentleman than she recognised his pecuniary position to be merely temporary.
- The couple fell in love before they had even set eyes on each other during a six-month long distance courtship.
- Alternatively, the rule-makers can set their faces against the pressures for change.
- Does the hon. Gentleman really want to set his face against the improvements that trust status could deliver?
- I would set my face against the casualisation of the Corporation.
- It has set its face against cutting prices.
- The Lord Chancellor set his face against growing criticism over his behaviour.
- The last time Molly set foot in that house was 26 years ago.
- After she sued, Harvard said it would file criminal trespass charges against Garzilli if she sets foot in the department.
- As soon as I set foot in there, I knew that I had to be involved somehow.
- August paid off the bank, then never set foot in New Albion or Lake Wobegon again.
- However, he had never set foot in the village again.
- Louis Johnson came to despise the Alsops and ordered Pentagon reception desks to inform him whenever they set foot in the building.
- She had set foot in Skipton and passed through Keighley, but these were small country towns.
- Streetsmart in Jersey City, many have never set foot in the big town across the Hudson.
- The moment I set foot in this house, my world turned upside down.
- He's set his heart on a new bike for Christmas.
- By January 1768 they were back in Vienna, where Leopold had set his heart on securing an opera commission for Wolfgang.
- He's always set his heart on going to Simon's school.
- He was not a man to give way easily and he had clearly set his heart on making her recognise her father.
- I have held no office because Thou did not will it, and I never set my heart on office.
- So now, after all, there was something she had set her heart on.
- But Apple first must get its house in order.
- Commissioners are satisfied with the progress it is making to put its house in order.
- Following numerous complaints the Vicar of Woodford has been told to put his house in order.
- Henry had set his house in order but had no thoughts about setting off on crusade.
- Others have called on the council to step in and tell the firm to put its house in order.
- The Law Society no longer can support equally those who have put their house in order and those who have not.
- He rarely left the Brooklyn apartment where he had set up house.
- Her parents were very upset when she set up house with her boyfriend.
- They first set up house together in Atlanta and moved to Miami three years later.
- And he set up house for her in a bungalow further along the river, in a nice secluded part.
- Diana and I were soon to set up house in Shepherd's Bush and our fortunes were inextricable for the next decade.
- He had even established a system for sending money home to their families once they had set up house in this country.
- I have to save enough money to set up house.
- The two new Mr and Mrs Kim-Soons set up house next door.
- They set up house in No. 93, which was now to let.
- A spark can just as easily set light to your clothes as it can to a dryer full of washing.
- Flames set light to his jacket and Mr Williams was helped into a nearby toilet where his hands were drenched with water.
- My father had twice set light to the form.
- That spark can set light to further proposals, ideas and chances in the manager's mind.
- The police set light to it.
- The vandals broke into the house, piled the cooker with linen then switched it on and set light to it.
- Would we leave a thing like that when any kiddy could knock the chocks out or set light to it?
- Youths fired an arrow through the window of one house and set light to another in an attempt to silence them.
- Just to put your mind at ease, we will get a second opinion from a cardiac specialist.
- The doctor set my mind at rest by explaining exactly what effect the drug would have on me.
- But let me set your mind at rest.
- But she'd like to see him, to try and set her mind at rest.
- He's been very kind to me and Lily, as regards putting our minds at rest about Stella.
- He's unlikely to know how you feel, and until he does, he can't put your mind at rest.
- He must set their minds at rest about the Freddie affair, because they knew of Freddie.
- I wish I could put their minds at rest.
- It puts my mind at rest.
- Quite often, all that is required is a friendly chat to put your mind at rest.
- A second glance put my mind to rest, but for a moment there it gave me a turn.
- Across the table, Lalage put her mind to the subjugation of Dada.
- Anybody could do what I do if they put their mind to it.
- But he can turn his mind to detailed needs, like pensions, if he has to.
- He would put his mind to other issues, one of which was sobering in its own right.
- I turned my mind to Archie.
- Whatever you set your mind to, your personal total obsession, this is what kills you.
- When Medea knew the deed was done she turned her mind to one still more dreadful.
- The discovery set in motion two days of searching for the bodies.
- A tiny pilot light, if you like, that was necessary to set everything else in motion.
- Corot set the countryside in motion.
- He has set the ball in motion.
- How easy to see how a white kid could set this in motion with hardly any effort.
- It is both wasteful and irresponsible to set experiments in motion and omit to record and analyse what happens.
- Oliver corrected the clock and set it in motion.
- On Jan. 13, Vega said, Guzman set his plot in motion.
- The programme had lost the man responsible for setting it in motion.
- She sat at the piano for hours, putting one of her poems to music.
- The Greek tragedy "Elektra" was set to music by Richard Strauss.
- But if you have an extremely subtle story, how are you going to set it to music?
- For Robin, a place to put mind to music.
- What were you going to do, set it to music?
- For most of the nineties, we were setting the pace in mobile phone technology.
- He or she controls the room and sets the pace.
- It is true that Newt Gingrich's Republicans set the pace.
- Pharmaceutical companies were the top-performing stocks in 1995 and set the pace today.
- They've got stronger since then and have set the pace in the championship race this season.
- This should result in fundholders setting the pace and others benefiting.
- Thus, the infant is setting the pace.
- Your rhythm should set the pace of the fight.
- Zeta's Lad set the pace.
- And striker Geoff Ferris is likely to put pen to paper for 12 months.
- Good old-fashioned motives for putting pen to paper.
- He then put pen to paper, and soon a stream of adjectives was flowing.
- I had written a very fine book in my head before arriving, without setting pen to paper.
- I have put pen to paper sparingly, aware that pictures speak louder than words.
- In February of 1942 and again in May of that year he had put pen to paper and logged his past.
- So if you are fun-loving and open-minded, put pen to paper.
- So why not put pen to paper and win a wardrobe of fashions.
- Having set the record straight there is a paradox.
- He sets the record straight by a thorough reconsideration of Addison's Cato, that tragedy constantly overrated at the time.
- I want to set the record straight.
- Or a desire to put the record straight?
- Taylor was given the perfect platform to set the record straight at yesterday's press conference.
- They have a duty to set the record straight, otherwise they are conniving at falsehood.
- But let me set your mind at rest.
- But she'd like to see him, to try and set her mind at rest.
- He's been very kind to me and Lily, as regards putting our minds at rest about Stella.
- He's unlikely to know how you feel, and until he does, he can't put your mind at rest.
- He must set their minds at rest about the Freddie affair, because they knew of Freddie.
- I wish I could put their minds at rest.
- It puts my mind at rest.
- Quite often, all that is required is a friendly chat to put your mind at rest.
- We set sail at sunrise.
- Backwards Pretend you are a beginner who has inadvertently forgotten which end of the board is forwards and set sail going backwards.
- But even if you only set sail in a comfy chair, this discussion is richly detailed in its own right.
- He hastened back to the ship and bade his crew set sail.
- In particular, on days of ill-omen ships could not set sail.
- It is small wonder that the idea of setting sail for an un-known land grew less and less attractive to him.
- On renouncing alcohol he was pardoned and he set sail for Darlington where he became a leading light in the Society.
- The fisherman cut their lines and set sail for port, but the sea serpent continued to follow them.
- The vessel set sail late Tuesday for an undisclosed destination, the news agency said.
- Government tanks rolled into town, setting the scene for a bloody battle.
- Recent events have set the scene for a potentially violent confrontation between the demonstrators and the army.
- The negotiations in Geneva have set the scene for a possible agreement later in the year.
- Annan set the scene for the introduction of Channel 4.
- But three key findings have set the scene for subsequent debate on the system.
- Concern about a baby's bowel movements can set the scene for concern and anxiety.
- Kasparov's reply, 19 a3, set the scene for a dramatic and cliffhanging duel.
- Let's first set the scene.
- The interpretation of Mannheim's project that von Schelting initiated set the scene for its incorporation into mainstream functionalist sociology.
- You set the scene, as it were, for your presentation and then proceed to follow the pattern laid down.
- His three-day tour set the seal on reconciliation between the two communities.
- It set the seal on his depression; he was almost ready to go home.
- Dr. Rosen closed his downtown practice and set up shop in a suburban neighborhood.
- Jack got his law degree, then set up shop as a real estate lawyer.
- At the age of 22 he set up shop in Sweeting's Alley, which was near the Royal Exchange.
- Each failed when a dispute arose and some group walked out of the union to set up shop down the block.
- My body and the kindly Earth have set up shop against me.
- NxtWave opted not to set up shop in Silicon Valley and instead chose Langhorne.
- S., new steel mills are setting up shop.
- The two Yankees started the business set up shop right where you see it.
- Wade Smith was given salesman of the year in January and promptly left to set up shop on his own.
- Graham has no plans to fly this aircraft at present and will put it to one side as soon as assembly and testing is complete.
- She put it to one side, and opened the folder of photographs.
- But later the deputies set the stage for possible compromise by agreeing to debate a referendum after all.
- But that simply set the stage for a final, beautiful flourish from Robins.
- Each stage of development effectively sets the stage for the next.
- That sets the stage for the matrix arrangement.
- The changes that occurred as a result of this rethinking set the stage for Workplace 2000.
- The vote set the stage for a government-wide review and partial rollback of affirmative action programs.
- Thus, it further sets the stage for later discussion of the other four pillars.
- Being thus disappointed, I now set great store by what the first night might bring.
- Bourbon producers set great store by the soft local water which passes through limestone on its way to the distilleries.
- Britain had previously set great store by the Lisbon economic summit two years ago, but progress has subsequently been slow.
- He had worked for the same engineering firm for thirty years and he had always set great store by the company pension.
- It apparently sets great store by creating business and completing assignments relatively quickly.
- Organizations which set great store by behavioural conformity often develop patterns of operation which can appear ridiculous in their manifestations.
- The ancient Israelites set great store by proper burial.
- His high-pitched squeaky voice set my teeth on edge.
- At other times their self-evident frustration sets your teeth on edge.
- He w as filing arrow heads, and the sound of the metal on the whetstone set Burun's teeth on edge.
- It was all done so genteelly that it set McAllister's teeth on edge.
- That set our teeth on edge and bring our goose pimples rising like porpoises after mackerel.
- It is easy to make him look personally responsible for setting the process in train and bringing it to fruition.
- Why, oh, why did you set such enquiries in train?
- Larger corporations are setting the trend for better maternity benefits.
- To save the planet we must set the trend of caring for the environment.
- Young backpackers set the trend, and now people of all ages are looking for cheap ways to travel around Southeast Asia.
- But although the sensationally styled Calibra sets the trend, it is by no means the only exponent of the field.
- It caught on over here some years later with the Seven Men of Preston setting the trend.
- The bank rate sets the trend for home, vehicle and other consumer loans.
- The rate, which sets the trend for home and other consumer loans, is now at its lowest since November 1994.
- And now we have Sliver which was the subject of much wrangling and hasn't exactly set the world on fire.
- But if Rhodes hasn't set the world on fire with his batting, he certainly has with his fielding.
- Either way, the speed and acceleration is not going to set the world on fire.
- It was a lovely accomplishment, of course, but nothing to set the world on fire with.
- None of the three papers was going to set the world on fire.
- The sonorities glow, and the whole thing is user-friendly without setting the world on fire.
- He wanted to put the world to rights.
- More recently Lou has cleaned up his act and started setting the world to rights.
- That straightness of Time, that confining straightness, was one with the Western picture of setting the world to rights.
a medieval village set high on a hill a big house set back from the road2background used to say that something is in front of a particular background, especially in a way that is attractiveset against a small town of white buildings, set against a background of hills pink petals set against dark green foliage3fixed [only before noun] a set amount, time etc is fixed and is never changed: We were paid a set amount each week. The evening meal is served at a set time. Small children like a set routine.4ready [not before noun] informal someone who is set for something is ready for itset for Are you all set for the trip?set to do something I was just set to go when the phone rang. Get set (=get ready) for a night of excitement. On your marks, get set, go (=said to start a race).5set on/upon/against (doing) something determined about something: Nina’s set on going to the party. The government’s dead set (=completely determined) against the plan.6opinions/habits etc not likely to change: People had very set ideas about how to bring up children. Mark was 65 and rather set in his ways (=habits).7have your heart/sights set on something to want to do something very much, or to be aiming to do something: She’s got her heart set on going to France this summer. Don has his sights set on a career in law.8set to do something likely to do something: The weather is set to change. This issue is set to cause some embarrassment.9deep-set/wide-set/close-set eyes eyes whose position is deep in the face, far apart on the face, or close together on the face10be set with gems/jewels etc to be decorated with jewels: a gold bracelet set with rubies11meal [only before noun] British English a set meal in a restaurant has a fixed price and a more limited choice than usualset lunch/dinner/menu The hotel does a very good set menu.12set book/text etc British English a book that must be studied for an examination13fixed expression literary if your face is set, it has a fixed expression on it, especially one that is angry, worried etc: He stared at her, his face set. Kate’s face was set in a grim expression.set smile/teeth/jaw ‘Damn you,’ he said through set teeth.