Set — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective /ˈset/

Meaning & Definition of Set

Set (verb)

  1. to cause to sit, place in or on a seat
  2. to put (a fowl) on eggs to hatch them
  3. to put (eggs) for hatching under a fowl or into an incubator

Set (noun)

  1. the act or action of setting
  2. the condition of being set
  3. a number of things of the same kind that belong or are used together

Set (adjective)

  1. intent, determined
  2. intentional, premeditated
  3. fixed by authority, appointment, or agreement

Set (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop

    "the hen set for days"

    similar: brood, hatch, incubate, sit
    related: lay, spawn

  2. to decide upon (the time or date for an event) usually from a position of authority

    "set a date for the wedding"

    similar: appoint, designate, fix, name
    related: adopt, assign, choose, determine, establish, opt (for), pick, pin (down), prefer, select, settle, single (out), specify, arrange, coordinate, orchestrate, advertise, announce, declare, publish

  3. to make an approximate or tentative judgment regarding

    "fire losses were set at a million dollars"

    similar: appraise, assess, estimate, evaluate, guesstimate, rate, valuate, value
    related: adjudge, deem, judge, ascertain, determine, discover, learn, price, prize, decide, settle, analyze, assay, survey, test, reappraise, reassess, reevaluate, rejudge, revalue, transvaluate, transvalue, misesteem, misjudge, misprize, underestimate, undervalue

  4. to rest on the buttocks or haunches

    "come over and set for a spell"

    similar: sit
    related: perch, lounge, slouch, sprawl, squat, straddle
    near: arise, get up, rise, stand

  5. to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal

    "determined to see the West, she set her car towards the sun and drove off"

    similar: aim, bend, cast, direct, head, hold, level, pinpoint, train
    related: sight, bear, face, concentrate, focus, incline, orient, steer
    near: avert, curve, deflect, detour, divert, rechannel, shunt, sidetrack

  6. to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of

    "finally set some plans for the luncheon"

    similar: agree (on), arrange, decide, fix, settle, dispose of
    related: contract, pledge, promise, blueprint, calculate, chart, concert, design, draft, frame, hammer out, intrigue, lay out, maneuver, map (out), plan, program, schematize, scheme, shape, square away, work out, choose, conclude, determine, figure, opt, resolve, affirm, approve, authorize, clear, confirm, OK, sanction, warrant, close, complete, end, finalize, finish, round (off or out), wind up, wrap up, bargain, chaffer, deal, dicker, haggle, horse-trade, negotiate
    near: abort, call, call off, drop, recall, repeal, rescind, revoke, differ (over), disagree (with), counter, debate, object, oppose, protest, resist, contest, dispute

  7. to put securely in place or in a desired position

    "had the jeweler set the diamond again"

    similar: anchor, catch, clamp, fasten, fix, hitch, moor, secure
    related: embed, entrench, implant, ingrain, lodge, stuff, wedge
    opposite: loose, loosen, unfasten, unfix, unloose, unloosen
    near: extract, prize, pry, pull, root (out), tear (out), uproot, wrest, yank

  8. to turn from a liquid into a substance resembling jelly

    "the gelatin is just starting to set now"

    similar: clot, coagulate, congeal, gel, gelate, gelatinize, jell, jelly
    related: cake, concrete, firm (up), fix, freeze, harden, indurate, solidify, stiffen, condense, thicken, clump, curd, curdle, gum, lump (up)
    near: deliquesce, flux, fuse, liquefy, melt, thaw

  9. to arrange something in a certain spot or position

    "set a book on the table"

    similar: depose, deposit, dispose, emplace, fix, lay, place, position, put, set up, situate, stick
    related: move, rearrange, reorder, shift, orient, establish, locate, plant, settle, clap, flop, plank, plop, plump, plunk, plunk down, slap, ensconce, niche, assemble, collect, carry, berth, park, affix, anchor, lock, lodge, wedge, array, lay out, line up, queue, rank, set down
    near: relocate, remove, take, banish, dislodge, displace, replace, supersede, supplant

  10. to become physically firm or solid

    "the concrete must set completely before anyone can walk on it"

    similar: concrete, congeal, firm (up), freeze, harden, indurate, solidify
    related: cake, callus, encrust, clot, coagulate, gel, gelate, gelatinize, jell, jelly, stiffen, thicken, calcify, crystallize, ossify, petrify, rigidify, anneal, case-harden, temper
    opposite: liquefy, soften
    near: deliquesce, dissolve, flux, fuse, melt, smelt, thaw, unfreeze

Set (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a group of people acting together within a larger group

    "the younger set is less likely to volunteer for the church's annual rummage sale"

    similar: bloc, block, body, coalition, faction, party, sect, side, wing
    related: splinter, split, crew, gang, pack, team, denomination, persuasion, schism, scission, caucus, movement

  2. a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially

    "they rarely associate with anyone outside their social set"

    similar: body, bunch, circle, clan, clique, community, coterie, coven, crowd, fold, galère, gang, klatch, lot, network, pack, ring
    related: charmed circle, elite, in-group, closed shop, club, college, fellowship, guild, league, organization, society, camp, faction, sect, side, tribe, mess, squad, brotherhood, fraternity, order, sisterhood, sodality, sorority, commune, alliance, bloc, coalition, confederation, congress, council, federation, union
    near: loner, individualist

  3. a number of things considered as a unit

    "a set of tools"

    similar: array, assemblage, band, bank, batch, battery, block, bunch, clot, clump, cluster, clutch, collection, constellation, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, muster, package, parcel, passel, suite, the whole kit and caboodle
    related: accumulation, aggregate, aggregation, conglomeration, agglomeration, assortment, hodgepodge, jumble, miscellany, mixture, odds and ends, sundries, variety, cycle, run, series, suit
    near: entity, item, single, unit

  4. one of the units into which a whole is divided on the basis of a common characteristic

    "the next set of job applicants had far more education and practical experience"

    similar: bracket, category, class, classification, division, family, genus, grade, group, kind, league, order, rank(s), rubric, species, tier, type
    related: description, feather, ilk, kidney, like, manner, nature, sort, branch, section, speciality, specialty, subclass, subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, variety, breed, race, generation, heading, label, title

  5. the array of painted backgrounds and furnishings used to establish the setting in a stage production

    "built sets for the play"

    similar: decor, mise-en-scène, scene, scenery
    related: backdrop, drop, background, set piece, prop, property

Set (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being in a state of fitness for some experience or action

    "we're all set to go"

    similar: fit, go, prepared, ready
    related: conditioned, primed, ripe, armed, braced, fortified, steeled, qualified, trained
    opposite: flat-footed, half-baked, half-cocked, underprepared, unprepared, unready
    near: unqualified, untrained

  2. firmly positioned in place and difficult to dislodge

    "that rock is really set in the hillside"

    similar: fast, firm, frozen, jammed, lodged, snug, stuck, tight, wedged
    related: bonded, cemented, glued, anchored, clamped, embedded, entrenched, impacted, implanted, attached, bound, fastened, secured, immovable, unyielding
    opposite: insecure, loose
    near: detached, dislodged, freed, loosened, unattached, unbound, undone, unfastened, unsecured, movable, yielding

  3. fully committed to achieving a goal

    "set on being the first in her family to graduate from college"

    similar: bent (on or upon), bound, decisive, determined, do-or-die, firm, hell-bent (on or upon), intent, out, purposeful, resolute, resolved, single-minded, on one's mettle
    related: bitter, vehement, certain, cocksure, confident, positive, sure, earnest, serious, steady, unfaltering, unhesitating, unswerving, unwavering, adamant, adamantine, dogged, hard, hardened, hardheaded, headstrong, immovable, implacable, inflexible, mulish, obdurate, persistent, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, rigid, self-willed, stubborn, tenacious, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful
    opposite: faltering, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, undetermined, unresolved, vacillating, wavering, weak-kneed
    near: distrustful, doubtful, dubious, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious, uncertain, unconvinced, undecided, unsettled, unsure, disinclined, indisposed, loath, reluctant

  4. having been established and usually not subject to change

    "the library is only open during set hours"

    similar: certain, determinate, final, firm, fixed, flat, frozen, hard, hard-and-fast, inexpugnable, settled, stable
    related: nonadjustable, noncancelable, nonnegotiable, unchangeable, constant, steady, unchanging, uniform, unwavering, definite, exact, explicit, specific, given, stated, stipulated, dependable, good, reliable, responsible, safe, solid, sure, tried, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trusty
    near: adjustable, changeable, negotiable, indefinite, open-ended, unspecified, capricious, changeful, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconstant, mercurial, mutable, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, volatile

  5. of a particular or exact sort

    "international law has set rules for the treatment of prisoners of war"

    similar: concrete, distinct, especial, express, peculiar, precise, special, specific
    related: lone, only, separate, single, sole, solitary, distinctive, exclusive, individual, unique, limited, restricted, differentiated, specialized, given, specified
    opposite: nonspecific
    near: general, generalized, generic, nonexclusive, universal

  6. made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing

    "it was not my set purpose to cause trouble for anyone"

    similar: conscious, deliberate, intended, intentional, knowing, purposeful, purposive, voluntary, willed, willful, witting
    related: designed, planned, advised, calculated, considered, measured, reasoned, studied, thoughtful, weighed, premeditated, premeditative, prepense, discretionary, elective, optional, volunteer
    opposite: nondeliberate, nonpurposive, unintentional
    near: inadvertent, unwitting, accidental, chance, haphazard, hit-or-miss, incidental, random, aimless, desultory, purposeless, abrupt, impetuous, sudden, coerced, forced, involuntary, compulsory, mandatory, necessary, nonelective, obligatory, ordered, required, casual, extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, spontaneous, unforced, unpremeditated

Related Entry: Set by (verb)

Set by is a different word from Set. The synonyms below are for set by, not for set.

  1. to keep or intend for a special purpose

    "I have set by the earnings from my weekend job to use as vacation money"

    similar: allocate, consecrate, dedicate, devote, earmark, give up (to), reserve, save, set apart, set aside
    related: bless, hallow, sanctify, commit, confide, consign, entrust, apply, bestow, employ, use
    near: ignore, neglect, misapply, misuse

Related Entry: Set down (verb)

Set down is a different word from Set. The synonyms below are for set down, not for set.

  1. to cause to sit down

    "set the toddler down in her seat"

    similar: seat, sit
    related: ensconce, settle, lay, lie, rest, place, put, recline, repose

  2. to make a written note of

    "set down the names of those in attendance"

    similar: jot (down), log, mark, note, put down, record, register, report, take down, write down
    related: chronicle, minute, transcribe, enregister, enter, inscribe, chalk (up), notch, score

  3. to think of in a particular way

    "early in the campaign, voters set the senator down as an opportunist, and the perception stuck"

    similar: account, call, consider, count, esteem, hold, look (on or upon), rate, reckon, regard, view, take for
    related: believe, deem, feel, sense, think, conceive, fancy, imagine

Related Entry: Set in (verb)

Set in is a different word from Set. The synonyms below are for set in, not for set.

  1. to come into existence

    "a cold spell set in sometime last week"

    similar: actualize, appear, arise, begin, break, commence, dawn, engender, form, materialize, originate, spring, start
    related: be, breathe, exist, live, subsist, arrive, come on, emerge, coalesce, cohere, shape (up), continue, endure, last, persist, survive
    opposite: cease, end, stop
    near: conclude, desist, discontinue, finish, halt, quit, terminate, disappear, dissolve, evaporate, vanish, depart, die, expire, pass away, perish

Related Entry: Set off (verb)

Set off is a different word from Set. The synonyms below are for set off, not for set.

  1. to cause to function

    "set off a bomb"

    similar: activate, actuate, crank (up), drive, move, run, spark, start, touch off, trigger, turn on
    related: kick over, turn over, charge, electrify, energize, fire, fuel, generate, power, push, discharge, launch, release, switch, trip, reactivate, recharge, arouse, excite, jump-start, kick-start, stimulate, vitalize, ignite, incite, instigate, provoke, quicken, stir up, accelerate, catalyze, speed (up), step up
    opposite: cut, cut out, deactivate, kill, shut off, turn off
    near: arrest, brake, check, cut off, draw up, halt, jam, stall, stick, stop, decelerate, repress, slow, stunt, suppress

Related Entry: Set on (verb)

Set on is a different word from Set. The synonyms below are for set on, not for set.

  1. to take sudden, violent action against

    "without warning, bandits would set on unwary merchants as they traveled along the Silk Road"

    similar: assail, assault, attack, beset, bushwhack, charge, descend (on or upon), go in (on), jump (on), pounce (on or upon), raid, rush, sic, storm, strike, trash, turn (on), beat up on, fly at, go at, light into, pitch into, round on, set at, set upon, tear into
    related: bum-rush, gang up (on), mob, swarm, mug, rob, ambuscade, ambush, surprise, waylay, blitz, bomb, bombard, nuke, barrage, cannon, cannonade, bang away (at), batter, buffet, plaster, beleaguer, besiege, press, harry, loot, pillage, plunder, ravage, sack, foray, invade, overrun, envelop, flank
    near: cover, defend, guard, protect, secure, shield

Related Entry: Set out (verb)

Set out is a different word from Set. The synonyms below are for set out, not for set.

  1. to give a representation or account of in words

    "in his inaugural address, the president set out his vision for the nation over the next four years"

    similar: delineate, depict, describe, draw, image, limn, paint, picture, portray, render, sketch
    related: characterize, define, label, qualify, represent, demonstrate, illustrate, narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report, tell, display, exhibit, show, hint, suggest, draft, outline, silhouette, trace, vignette, summarize, sum up, touch off, redescribe, reimage
    near: color, distort, falsify, garble, misdescribe, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, twist, warp

Related Entry: Set-to (noun)

Set-to is a different word from Set. The synonyms below are for set-to, not for set.

  1. an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions

    "they had a brief set-to about money, but they seem to have resolved it"

    similar: altercation, argle-bargle (chiefly British), argument, argy-bargy (chiefly British), battle royal, bicker, brawl, contretemps, controversy, cross fire, disagreement, dispute, donnybrook, falling-out, fight, hassle, imbroglio, kickup, misunderstanding, quarrel, rhubarb, row, scrap, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle
    related: clash, run-in, skirmish, tangle, tussle, logomachy, feud, vendetta, attack, contention, dissension, debate, difference, disputation, fuss, objection, protest, protestation, affray (chiefly British), fisticuffs, fracas, fray, free-for-all, melee, catfight

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Set

The most common words with a similar meaning to Set:

brood, hatch, incubate, sit, appoint, designate, fix, name, appraise, assess, estimate, evaluate, guesstimate, rate, valuate, value, aim, bend, cast, direct, head, hold, level, pinpoint, train, agree (on), arrange, decide, settle, anchor, catch, clamp, fasten, hitch, moor, secure, clot, coagulate, congeal, gel

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Set

Words with the opposite meaning of Set:

loose, loosen, unfasten, unfix, unloose, unloosen, liquefy, soften, flat-footed, half-baked, half-cocked, underprepared, unprepared, unready, insecure, faltering, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, undetermined, unresolved, vacillating, wavering, weak-kneed, nonspecific, nondeliberate, nonpurposive, unintentional

Related Words for Set

spawn, adopt, assign, choose, determine, establish, opt (for), pick, pin (down), prefer, select, single (out), specify, coordinate, orchestrate, advertise, announce, declare, publish, adjudge, deem, judge, ascertain, discover, learn, price, prize, analyze, assay, survey

Near Antonyms of Set

arise, get up, rise, stand, avert, curve, deflect, detour, divert, rechannel, shunt, sidetrack, abort, call, call off, drop, recall, repeal, rescind, revoke, differ (over), disagree (with), counter, debate, object, oppose, protest, resist, contest, dispute

Word Forms of Set

Inflections: setting, sets

Origin & Etymology of Set

Middle English setten, from Old English settan; akin to Old High German sezzen to set, Old English sittan to sit

First known use: before 12th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Set

Words & Phrases Containing Set

sett, set about, set apart, set aside, set-aside, set at, set back

Frequently Asked Questions about Set

What does "Set" mean?

"Set" means to cause to sit, place in or on a seat. As an a verb, a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: to cause to sit, place in or on a seat. It has 21 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Set"?

Other words for "Set" include brood, hatch, incubate, sit, appoint, designate, fix and name. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Set" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Set"?

There are 533 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Set". Common alternatives include brood, hatch, incubate, sit, appoint, designate, fix, name, appraise and assess.

What is the opposite of "Set"?

Antonyms of "Set" include loose, loosen, unfasten, unfix, unloose, unloosen, liquefy and soften. Near antonyms include arise, get up, rise and stand.

How do you use "Set" in a sentence?

Examples of "Set" in a sentence: "the hen set for days"; "set a date for the wedding"; "fire losses were set at a million dollars".

Is "Set" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Set" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Set" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Set" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Set"?

"Set" is pronounced /ˈset/.