set-to
noun
a usually brief, sharp fight or argument.
set-to
American
[set-too]
/ ˈsɛtˌtu /
noun
-
set-tos
plural
set to
British
verb
-
to begin working
-
to start fighting
noun
set to
Idioms
-
Apply oneself, begin, work energetically, as in We set to revamping our policy on child care , or She set to studying for the bar exam . [Early 1400s]
-
Begin fighting, as in Both of them were furious, and they set to immediately . [First half of 1700s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of set-to
First recorded in 1735–45; noun use of verb phrase set to
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.
See Examples For:
Itching for a robust little set-to, they rode around waving the California Republic’s Bear Flag — which by then was a states’ rights symbol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
Chelsea get the ball rolling for the first quarter of this two-legged set-to!
From The Guardian ● Feb. 20, 2018
What was most striking about this set-to was how much Warren seemed to be enjoying it.
From The New Yorker ● May 17, 2016
I called Mr. Smith about our set-to in 2010.
From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2014
I suppose every boy about the king’s village had a set-to with me.
From O'er Many Lands, on Many Seas by Gordon Stables
The parties had been set to negotiate in late August, but Bonta pulled the plug on those sessions, accusing Paramount of leaking misinformation and “playing games.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Some fans are worried what will become of the tour by the time Sheeran is set to play in their city.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Public sector finances data set to be released on Tuesday will be closely watched for indications of the health of government finances ahead of the Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
He’s set to progress to hitting off coach-thrown batting practice this week, Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
On July 29, as testimony was set to begin, throngs of spectators arrived early in order to get a seat.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
It’s qualitatively different from the kind of tiredness that comes from an afternoon of set-tos and whining when you and your kid are stuck in a room together.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2019
During the day he cares for the inmates, consoling them, moderating their set-tos and tenderly putting them, when the time comes, to sleep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2018
But the formal strictures of such set-tos mask the fact that debate, in its loosest form, is something most people engage in almost daily.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2010
And so are director Wes Craven's inventive stagings of these set-tos.
From Time Magazine Archive
There will be some grand set-tos between mother and Robert.
From A Reconstructed Marriage by Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
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.
