set about
Britishverb
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to start or begin
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to attack physically or verbally
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Armed with this and a field guide in her home of San Francisco, she set about identifying birds from an early age.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The previous owners had already done some nuts-and-bolts upgrades, and Walsh and Stewart set about converting the attic into two extra bedrooms and a bathroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Feeling like finding this 950-square-foot apartment was kismet, Miranda-Martin signed the lease and set about creating a sophisticated and color-saturated sanctuary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The company found them at Princeton University, where it set about amplifying their work by donating $15 million to start the Carbon Mitigation Initiative.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
He looked at the house and he looked out over the dripping countryside and then let the door back down and descended the steps and set about making breakfast.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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.
