dead set

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

/ ˈdɛd ˈsɛt for 1, 2; ˈdɛd ˌsɛt for 3 /

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See 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.

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Origin of dead set

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Words nearby dead set

deadrise, dead run, Dead Sea, Dead Sea fruit, Dead Sea Scrolls, dead set, dead set against, dead slow, dead-smooth, dead-smooth file, dead soldier

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dead set in a sentence

When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Submission is set in a France seven years from now that is dominated by a Muslim president intent on imposing Islamic law.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cartoonist, better known as Charb, was shot dead Wednesday.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the last year, her fusion exercise class has attracted a cult following and become de rigueur among the celebrity set.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

I wonder what that lady is doing now, and if she knows what she set in motion with Archer?
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You would not think it too much to set the whole province in flames so that you could have your way with this wretched child.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
A little boy of four was moved to passionate grief at the sight of a dead dog taken from a pond.
Children's Ways|James Sully
I take the Extream Bells, and set down the six Changes on them thus.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
She set off down Trafalgar Road in the mist and the rain, glad that she had been compelled to walk.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
Good is set against evil, and life against death: so also is the sinner against a just man.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

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

dead set

Origin of dead set

Words nearby dead set

Words related to dead set

How to use dead set in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dead set