set sth off
— phrasal verb with set uk/set/us/set/verb present participle setting, past tense and past participle set
(CAUSE)
C2 to cause an activity or event, often a series of events, to begin or happen:
The court's initial verdict in the police officers' trial set off serious riots.
C2 to cause a loud noise or explosion, such as that made by a bomb or an alarm (= a warning sound) to begin or happen:
Terrorists set off a bomb in the city centre.
Somebody set the alarm off on my car.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Starting and beginning
- be in the first flush of idiom
- become
- begin
- branch out
- break into sth
- export
- go ahead
- ground
- incipient
- initiator
- instate
- introduce
- kick
- kick-start
- strike
- touch sth off
- train
- trigger
- wade in
- weave
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Exploding and erupting
(MAKE NOTICEABLE)
to make something look attractive by providing a contrast (= attractive difference) to it:
The new yellow cushions nicely set off the pale green of the chair covers.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Decorating or making something attractive
- accessorize
- adorn
- adornment
- beautify
- bedeck
- edged
- embellish
- festoon
- flatter
- flock
- garland
- glam
- ornament
- ornamentation
- ornate
- pimp
- prettify
- twiddly
- window dressing
- zhuzh
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