set the table
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Explain Bivens doctrine now, to set the table for what follows.
From Slate • Jan. 26, 2026
Trump has described the summit, which is due to start at 20:00 BST, as a "feel-out meeting" and said his goal is to "set the table" for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
From BBC • Aug. 15, 2025
My job is to get on base, set the table for Shohei and the guys behind him.’
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2025
“Dune: Prophecy,” a prequel based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s “Great Schools of Dune” trilogy, has about six hours to set the table and whet our appetite.
From Salon • Nov. 17, 2024
“Please set the table when you’re done, Mia,” Mom says, stealing a glance my way.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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.
