set on
Britishverb
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(preposition) to cause to attack
they set the dogs on him
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(adverb) to instigate or incite; urge
he set the child on to demand food
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Also, set upon.
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Attack; see set at .
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Instigate, urge one to engage in action, as in The older boys set on the young ones to get in trouble . [Early 1500s]
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. Be determined to, as in He's set on studying law .
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.
“My hair has been set on fire so often,” one told me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Roughly a month earlier, the reservoir had already fallen below its previous record low of 3,519.92 feet, which was set on April 13, 2023.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
That high is close to the all-time peak demand record of 52,061 megawatts set on Sept. 6, 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Located about an hour’s drive from Manhattan and set on a stunning 2 acres of land, the home was originally built in 1955 for auto importer Max Hoffman.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Where I might go, what I might do, or when I might return, were questions utterly unknown to me; nor did I vex my mind with them, for it was wholly set on Provis’s safety.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
