set the table
IdiomsExample Sentences
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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
Does Hackford think “La Bamba” helped set the table for subsequent Latino pop star success?
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2025
Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, Hegseth’s hand-holder for the four-hour interrogation, set the table for him with his opening question.
From Slate • Jan. 14, 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
So she set the table and found the noodles for Cousin Eunice.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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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.