setup

American  

[set-uhp] / ˈsɛtˌʌp /

noun

1. organization; arrangement.

2. an act or instance of setting up or getting ready.

   The setup of the lights and camera took most of the morning.

3. the carriage of the body; bearing.

4. a camera position, as for a particular shot.

5. everything required for an alcoholic drink except the liquor, as a glass, ice, and soda water, as served to patrons who provide their own liquor.

6. Informal.

   1. an undertaking or contest deliberately made easy.

   2. a match or game arranged with an opponent who can be defeated without risk or effort.

   3. an opponent easy to defeat.

7. Sports.

   1. a shot or play that results in a puck, shuttlecock, ball, or balls being so positioned as to provide a player with an easy opportunity for a winning shot.

      a playmaker who excels in setups.

   2. the position of such a puck, ball, etc..

      a setup close to and to the left of the goalkeeper.

   3. the puck, ball, etc., itself.

      The wing banged the setup into the goal.

8. an arrangement of all the tools, parts, apparatus, etc., necessary for any of various specific jobs or purposes.

9. the equipment or items necessary for a particular activity or period; kit.

   Each student gets a weekly setup of clean blankets, sheets, and towels.

10. a plan or projected course of action.

11. a prearranged situation or circumstance, usually created to fool or trap someone; trick; scheme.

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Usage

See login.

Etymology

Origin of setup

First recorded in 1600–10; noun use of verb phrase set up

Example Sentences

And one of the oddities of the setup is that they’re typically underpriced compared with what they’d go for in a private sale.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

The team found that their relatively simple setup can stabilize this state.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026

This is the precise setup Shin’s research was built to distrust.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

An ankle monitor, a meat slicer, some breast milk, and a package of live butterflies walk into an Uber...except this is not the setup to a joke.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

The Java Village’s novelty thrilled me at first, but the entire setup began to feel shallow the longer we sat there.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• composition
• foundation
• set-up
• structure
• system