setup

American  

[set-uhp] / ˈsɛtˌʌp /

noun

• setups
  plural

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• setups
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of setup

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

setup setups

A daily workout, and hitting golf balls on my Trackman video setup in the wine cellar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

The back end of the bullpen settled into a rhythm with Tanner Scott serving as the setup man and Edwin Díaz reestablishing himself as the closer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester, said the existing setup had become out of sync with modern television.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The study also used an unusually simple setup.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

On the floor and taking up practically the entire room is a robotics setup.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

Both Samsung and Google pack dedicated triple-camera setups or ultra-high megapixel sensors into their foldables, whereas Apple makes modest hardware compromises on its camera array to keep the Duo thin and lightweight.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Unlike Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, or Hope and Crosby, who relied on tightly scripted setups, this disparate yet kindred duo captured America’s heart by being viscerally, uproariously and unpredictably wild.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

By the early 1990s, some crews in the U.K. began throwing megaraves more spiritually akin to experiential carnivals than to more lowkey dance-floor-and-DJ setups.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

All you need is a 200-watt panel and a “microinverter,” with setups starting at around $500.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

I was pleasantly surprised when a bunch of kids added their names to volunteer for apartment setups and helping with free music lessons and tutoring for kids.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

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Related Words

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

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