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.
He was still a teenager when he set out to earn money to help his mother build a house.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
Where her previous albums largely drew from a cache of material accumulated across years, Korkejian set out to explore her feelings about her family, their experiences together, and the meaning of home.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
He has faced calls from opposition parties to set out his plans, confirm who he intends to appoint to his cabinet and explain whether or not he will deviate from Labour's 2024 manifesto.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
But Colatarci’s sister, then a high-school senior, wasn’t incognito when she set out on a quest for a prom dress.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
Once she learned of her fate, she set out to escape.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
