dead set
Americanadjective
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.
adverb
noun
adjective
interjection
Etymology
Origin of dead set
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
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.
Knueppel says he learned it by a being kid trying to escape an entire court of grown men who were dead set on stopping him.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
With Poland dead set against it, that means either France or Italy, both home to rowdy agricultural lobbies, would have to sign on.
From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025
"The very fact they were dead set on employing these independent advocates themselves says something about the culture - its control, and just not even beginning to understand the nature of independence."
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025
“He is dead set on it,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at MLB’s winter meetings.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025
But tonight my mother is dead set on me watching television with her while she crafts props for the pageant’s opening dance number.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
