set the pace

Idioms

Establish a standard for others to follow, as in Jim has set the pace for the department, exceeding the monthly quota every time. This expression comes from racing, where it is said of a horse that passes the others and leads the field. It was transferred to other activities in the early 1900s.

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.

“Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo.”

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

Nakai, 17, set the pace in the short programme on Tuesday, upstaging teammate Kaori Sakamoto, a three-time Olympic medallist.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

From sports retail to healthcare equipment, global companies are grappling with the same question: how to compete in a market where domestic players set the pace, consumers demand constant adjustment and loyalty is increasingly transactional.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025

The aggressive plan reflects chief executive Sam Altman’s dream of turning OpenAI into a multitrillion-dollar tech giant, his desire to set the pace of the AI boom and his seemingly unending tolerance for risk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

It was really Hwin, though she was the weaker and more tired of the two, who set the pace.

From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023