set out
Britishverb
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to present, arrange, or display
he set the flowers out in the vase
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to give a full account of; explain exactly
he set out the matter in full
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to plan or lay out (a garden, etc)
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(intr) to begin or embark on an undertaking, esp a journey
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Begin an earnest attempt, as in He set out to prove his point , or We accomplished what we set out to do . [Late 1800s]
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Lay out systematically, as in She set out all the reports in chronological order . [Second half of 1500s]
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Display for exhibition or sale, as in The Japanese restaurant set out samples of all the different kinds of sushi . [c. 1300]
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Plant, as in It was time to set out the seedlings . [Early 1800s]
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Begin a journey, as in They set out at dawn . [Late 1500s]
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.
When Gil Hanse set out to renovate Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia he made it his mission to restore it to its original, legendary designs from the 1920s.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
A team from Kyoto University and Hiroshima University set out to solve that missing piece.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
Streeting and Sir Keir met shortly before the Labour government set out its legislative agenda in the King's Speech, which marks the start of a new parliamentary session.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
He and other foragers followed tips from other ramp collectors or set out to find well-shaded stream beds, where ramp patches tend to flourish.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
And so I whirled back up the stairs to my room, changed into my oldest skirt, and set out over the bumpy brick streets.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
