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dead set

[ded set for 1, 2; ded set for 3]
See more synonyms for dead set on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. firmly decided or determined; resolved: His family was dead set against the marriage.
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noun
  1. a serious or determined attempt; firm effort: He made a dead set at winning the championship.
  2. Hunting. the stiff posture assumed by a hunting dog in indicating the presence and location of game.
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Origin of dead set

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dead set

Historical Examples

  • In four they are held back when dead-set on a very wrong course.

    Quiet Talks on Power

    S.D. Gordon

  • All a part of the game, dear old pal, the dead-set at the noble and rich.

  • Of course if she was "dead-set" against John Crumb, that was one thing!

    The Way We Live Now

    Anthony Trollope

  • Billy was dead-set against the trial of eternally groping for the meaning of foreign phrases.

  • As they saw by this that there was a dead-set made against them, they then decided to form a volunteer military company.

British Dictionary definitions for dead set

dead set

adverb
  1. absolutelyhe is dead set against going to Spain
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noun
  1. the motionless position of a dog when pointing with its muzzle towards game
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adjective
  1. (of a hunting dog) in this position
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interjection
  1. Australian slang an expression of affirmationdead set, I worked from dawn to dusk
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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