set off

¹ British  

verb

1. (intr) to embark on a journey

2. (tr) to cause (a person) to act or do something, such as laugh or tell stories

3. (tr) to cause to explode

4. (tr) to act as a foil or contrast to, esp so as to improve

   that brooch sets your dress off well

5. (tr) accounting to cancel a credit on (one account) against a debit on another, both of which are in the name of the same person, enterprise, etc

6. (intr) to bring a claim by way of setoff

---

noun

1. anything that serves as a counterbalance

2. anything that serves to contrast with or enhance something else; foil

3. another name for setback See set back

4. a counterbalancing debt or claim offered by a debtor against a creditor

5. a cross claim brought by a debtor that partly offsets the creditor's claim See also counterclaim

set-off ² British  

noun

1. Also called (esp Brit): offset.  printing a fault in which ink is transferred from a heavily inked or undried printed sheet to the sheet next to it in a pile

---

set off Idioms  

1. Give rise to, cause to occur, as in The acid set off a chemical reaction . [Early 1600s]

2. Cause to explode, as in They set off a bomb . [Late 1800s]

3. Distinguish, show to be different, contrast with, as in That black coat sets him off from the others in the picture , or Italics set this sentence off from the rest of the text . [Late 1500s]

4. Enhance, make more attractive, as in That color sets off her blonde hair . [Early 1600s]

5. Begin a journey, leave, as in When do you set off for Europe? [Second half of 1700s]

---

Example Sentences

“Reopening the Strait would set off a rapid but uneven normalization, with financial prices adjusting far faster than physical flows,” Kaneva said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

It turned height from a dare into a design choice—and set off more than a century and a half in which elevators and cities rose together.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The moment the sisters had worked for all their lives arrived in 2020, when the time came to set off around the country — and the world — to audition for ballet companies.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Last autumn, Regan set off on a solo trip around South East Asia, taking a "massive" backpack containing all her medication for the trip.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

“If an elephant isn’t heavy enough to set off a land mine, I certainly won’t do it,” Nhamo declared.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• add to
• aggravate
• boost
• build up
• deepen
• enhance
• escalate
• exacerbate
• heat up
• heighten
• increase
• quicken
• raise
• redouble
• reinforce
• sharpen
• step up
• strengthen