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
It could help set the table for Carney to say the "private sector says they want a deal. What can we do?" said Mr Sands.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025
“Getting Shohei and Yoshinobu,” Carr said, “I think really helped set the table for Roki.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2025
“Dune: Prophecy,” a prequel based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s “Great Schools of Dune” trilogy, has about six hours to set the table and whet our appetite.
From Salon • Nov. 17, 2024
I rest the salad bowl on the counter and turn to leave before I’m asked to set the table.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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.
