dead set

[ded set for 1, 2; ded set for 3]

See more synonyms for dead set on Thesaurus.com

adjective

firmly decided or determined; resolved: His family was dead set against the marriage.

noun

a serious or determined attempt; firm effort: He made a dead set at winning the championship.
Hunting. the stiff posture assumed by a hunting dog in indicating the presence and location of game.

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

Related Words for dead set

uncompromising, stringent, austere, harsh, solid, hard-line, definite, unyielding, inflexible, intransigent, stern, rigorous, adamant, fixed, exact, tough, scrupulous, exacting, severe, rigid

Examples from the Web for dead set

Historical Examples of dead set

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.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 99, August 30, 1890.
Various
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.
Our Young Aeroplane Scouts in Germany
Horace Porter
As they saw by this that there was a dead-set made against them, they then decided to form a volunteer military company.
Some Reminiscences of old Victoria
Edgar Fawcett

British Dictionary definitions for dead set

dead set

adverb

absolutelyhe is dead set against going to Spain

noun

the motionless position of a dog when pointing with its muzzle towards game

adjective

(of a hunting dog) in this position

interjection

Australian slang an expression of affirmationdead set, I worked from dawn to dusk

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