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Synonyms

inset

American  
[in-set, in-set] / ˈɪnˌsɛt, ɪnˈsɛt /

noun

  1. something inserted; insert.

  2. a small picture, map, etc., inserted within the border of a larger one.

  3. influx.

  4. the act of setting in.

  5. a piece of cloth or other material set into a garment, usually as an ornamental panel.

verb (used with object)

inset, insetting

  1. to set in or insert, as an inset.

    to inset a panel in a dress.

  2. to insert an inset in.

    to inset a mounting with jewels.
inset British  

verb

  1. (tr) to set or place in or within; insert

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. something inserted

  2. printing

    1. a small map or diagram set within the borders of a larger one

    2. another name for insert

  3. a piece of fabric inserted into a garment, as to shape it or for decoration

  4. a flowing in, as of the tide

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • insetter noun

Etymology

Origin of inset

before 900; Middle English insetten to insert, Old English insettan to initiate; in- 1, set

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They act as deep coffers for the inset skylights, recalling Kahn’s Yale museum, while their V-shaped section gives them a central channel in which the mechanical systems are concealed, performing their duties unseen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

Police were called at about 13:20 BST after Kaliyah, who had been playing during a school inset day, entered the water near Bargehouse Causeway, near London City Airport in east London.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2025

The infamous Bronco chase caused one television station to rearrange coverage of an NBA Finals game, featuring the chase on the main screen and the game as an inset.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2024

Indicating the origin of an inset from an image is minimal; providing intensity scales for grayscale, color, and pseudocolor is recommended; and annotating image details such as pixel size and exposure time are ideal.

From Science Daily • Oct. 26, 2023

Carved from olivewood, a little bigger than a shoe box, it had a tin lid perforated by tiny airholes and inset with the icon of an unrecognizable saint.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.