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

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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

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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]

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Example Sentences

Drivers have been advised to set off early in the morning, as congestion is likely to be at its worst from 10:00 BST each day between Thursday and Saturday, and on Easter Monday.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 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

He likely grew up apprenticing in his father’s studio, and in the 1510s he and his brother set off for Basel to work independently.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

That set off days of intensive efforts using boats to make waves, then excavators to dig up sand and free the whale, as fears grew for its life.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

One night, for entertainment, the Frelimo soldiers set off flares and fired tracer bullets into the sky.

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