set down
Britishverb
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to write down or record
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to judge, consider, or regard
he set him down as an idiot
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(foll by to) to ascribe; attribute
his attitude was set down to his illness
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to reprove; rebuke
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to snub; dismiss
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to allow (passengers) to alight from a bus, taxi, etc
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Place in a lower position, as in Set the baby down here , or Set the bags down on the hall table . [Late 1400s]
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Put in writing, record, as in Just set down all the facts as you remember them . [Second half of 1500s]
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Regard, consider, as in Just set him down as a fool . [Late 1700s]
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Assign to a cause, ascribe, as in Let's set down his error to inexperience . [Early 1800s]
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Land an aircraft, as in The pilot set the plane down hard on the runway . Also see put down .
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.
Beauty reached for June’s hand, said, Come set down.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
In short, Kagan would have resolved this case as a good textualist, operating within the methodological terms set down by the majority’s opinion, minus the major-questions thumb on the scale.
From Slate • Mar. 4, 2026
There is no question this is a long term trend, especially for young people, who often want overseas experience - known as "an OE" - before returning to set down roots.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
I’m not sure how well I measure up, but I do keep a tight, ring-free dining room station and catch a glimmer of my father whenever I set down my glass.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
Ridge set down his milkshake, picked up the phone, and studied it from every angle, his face bright with curiosity.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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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.