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• set-up
  set-up
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  set up

  verb

  (also intr) to put into a position of power, etc

set-up

American  

[set-uhp] / ˈsɛtˌʌp /

noun

1. Surveying.

   1. station.

   2. a surveying instrument precisely positioned for observations from a station.

   3. a gap between the end of a chain or tape being used for a measurement and the point toward which it is laid.

2. setting-up exercise.

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set up British  

verb

1. (also intr) to put into a position of power, etc

2. (also intr) to begin or enable (someone) to begin (a new venture), as by acquiring or providing means, equipment, etc

3. to build or construct

   to set up a shed

4. to raise, cause, or produce

   to set up a wail

5. to advance or propose

   to set up a theory

6. to restore the health of

   the sea air will set you up again

7. to establish (a record)

8. informal to cause (a person) to be blamed, accused, etc

9. informal

   1. to provide (drinks, etc) for

      set 'em up, Joe!

   2. to pay for the drinks of

      I'll set up the next round

10. printing another term for set 1

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noun

1. informal the way in which anything is organized or arranged

2. slang an event the result of which is prearranged

   it's a setup

3. a prepared arrangement of materials, machines, etc, for a job or undertaking

4. a station at which a surveying instrument, esp a theodolite, is set up

5. films the position of the camera, microphones, and performers at the beginning of a scene

adjective

1. physically well-built

set up Idioms  

1. Place in an upright position, as in I keep setting up this lamp but it won't stay up . [c. 1200]

2. Elevate, raise; also, put in a position of authority or power, as in They set him up as their leader . [Late 1300s]

3. Put oneself forward, claim to be, as in He set himself up as an authority on the banking system . [Mid-1800s]

4. Assemble, erect, make ready for use, as in They set up the sound system last night . [c. 1200]

5. Establish, found, as in They set up a new charity for the homeless . [Early 1400s]

6. Establish in business by providing capital or other backing, as in His father set her up in a new dental practice . [First half of 1500s]

7. Treat someone to drinks, pay for drinks, as in Please let us set you up tonight . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

8. Stimulate or exhilarate, as in That victory really set up our team . [c. 1600]

9. Lay plans for, as in I think they set up the kidnapping months ago . [First half of 1900s]

10. Prepare someone for a deception or trickery or joke, as in They set up their victim for the usual real estate scam , or Her friends set her up so that she was the only person in costume . [Mid-1900s]

11. Cause, bring about, as in The new taxes set up howls of protest . [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

set-up set up

With all the data available after the race, we fine-tuned a little bit the set-up around that new spec.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

AC Milan's win against United, however, may have provided clues as to how teams might counteract Carrick's defensive set-up - notably with the use of a 5-2-3 formation.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Steven Naismith, who served as one of his assistant, said last month he expects to continue in the national team set-up under a new boss.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Some of those spots host elaborate holiday light displays that require set-up in late October.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

We was feelin set-up about Fort Henry and when some of the boys got tard ofcarryin hevey blanket rolls they jest up and throwed em away.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

In the political uproar that followed, France set up a system to prevent and fight fires in its biggest forest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Policyholders also can’t set up a prearranged plan with their advisers regarding the underlying asset selection, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Cook’s personality was on full display when Dailey set up a technical demo for a senior government official involving the Vcommunicator, a late-2000s-era iPod Touch with specialized real-time translation software.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said a "reconciliation commission" would be set up while Danish PM Mette Frederiksen promised the governments would work together.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

The mayor and I settled down on a couple of old log ends set up like stools.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• arrange
• assemble
• begin
• build
• build up
• construct
• create
• erect
• establish
• found
• inaugurate
• initiate
• install
• institute
• introduce
• launch
• open
• organize
• prepare
• put up