set the table
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Explain Bivens doctrine now, to set the table for what follows.
From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2026
Trump has described the summit, which is due to start at 20:00 BST, as a "feel-out meeting" and said his goal is to "set the table" for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2025
And so it just was a way to kind of set the table for the next four hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2024
"Each week, we set the table for a discussion about Joy of Cooking recipes and history, kitchen victories and misadventures, and, most important, what we are cooking and eating," they write.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2024
Laila got to lick the bowls clean, as Mammy set the table with cups and napkins and the good plates.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
