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• set-up
  set-up
• set up
  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

It was a set-up so convoluted that it's doubtful that even Ross, who has been permanently paranoid about being murdered in plain sight, rumbled them.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Having cautioned last year about the prospect of froth in AI, Dalio has turned up the volume this year and begun to speak of the set-up as a bubble at risk of popping.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026

Liverpool released eight players from their academy set-up at the end of last season.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Such stores source their supplies directly from domestic producers, a set-up that, for now, eliminates any risk of food shortages, he added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

"It became clear to me that this whole set-up of Nazism has to be fought," Dasch told Traynor.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

She had to set up automatic sprinklers to keep the outdoor plants alive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

The fund was set up in 2015 with an initial £300m of government investment to help developers build new homes across Greater Manchester.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Demonstrators have set up their own smartphone app giving the real-time location of police, tear gas and helicopters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Two baseball fields will be set up on opposite ends of the stadium, with the game taking place on each during alternating innings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

There are cartons of food being set up in the back of the venue.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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Related Words

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

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