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• set-aside
  set-aside

  noun

  something, as land or profits, set aside for a particular purpose.
• set aside
  set aside

  verb

  to reserve for a special purpose; put to one side

set-aside

American  

[set-uh-sahyd] / ˈsɛt əˌsaɪd /

noun

1. something, as land or profits, set aside for a particular purpose.

2. a tract of federal lands set aside as a wildlife refuge, oil exploration site, etc.

3. a tract of farmland on which commercial crops or a specific crop will not be grown, as part of a federal plan to decrease production in order to maintain or increase prices.

4. a specified amount or percentage of an industry's production set aside, especially for government use.

   Ten percent of gasoline production is a set-aside for emergency use by the state.

5. a government contract awarded, as to a minority-owned business, without competitive bidding.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or constituting a set-aside.

   set-aside provisions of the new law.

set aside British  

verb

1. to reserve for a special purpose; put to one side

2. to discard, dismiss, or quash

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noun

1. 1. (in the European Union) a scheme in which a proportion of farmland is taken out of production in order to reduce surpluses or maintain or increase prices of a specific crop

   2. ( as modifier )

      set-aside land

set aside Idioms  

1. Separate and reserve for a special purpose, as in We have to set aside some chairs for latecomers . [Early 1700s] Also see set by .

2. Discard or reject, as in Setting aside all health considerations, do you believe this law is fair to smokers? [Early 1400s]

3. Declare invalid, annul, or overrule, as in The higher court set aside the conviction . [Mid-1700s] Also see lay aside .

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Etymology

Origin of set-aside

First recorded in 1940–45; noun, adj. use of verb phrase set aside

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

set-aside set aside

Bronfman scrambled to identify funds — a proposed $1.7-billion set-aside — to offer Class B investors $16 a share.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2024

He insisted he was all in favour of tackling climate change, but that the set-aside rule made no practical sense.

From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2024

The new outreach enables certified veteran-owned small businesses and service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses to compete for set-aside government contracts.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 18, 2023

California’s legislative analyst estimates the set-aside would generate up to $1 billion that would be prioritized for districts that serve low-income families with the greatest number of Black and Latino students.

From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2022

The new package includes another roughly $71 million for education relief, “which includes a new set-aside to provide public health and related services to private K-12 schools,” Faulk wrote in an email.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 26, 2020

"However, the decision was subsequently set aside by the court", Long said, despite the Prison Service having "resisted it strongly" at the judicial review.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

This example also assumes the family already has emergency savings to cover six months’ worth of expenses and therefore doesn’t set aside money for that.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Kaul recently asked the judge overseeing the Justice Department’s $225 million seizure to set aside the wallet targeted by Turkish prosecutors, arguing that the Turkish court’s seizure order gave her special status over the funds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Many children will have just 20 minutes set aside for recess daily, if they’re lucky.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

Jason poured the curdled blue corn into a bowl set aside for their two backyard dogs.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• abolish
• abrogate
• annul
• deny
• dismantle
• dismiss
• invalidate
• lift
• nullify
• quash
• remove
• renounce
• repeal
• rescind
• retract
• reverse
• vacate
• void
• withdraw