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• set-up
  set-up
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  set up

  verb

  (also intr) to put into a position of power, etc

set-up

American  

[set-uhp] / ˈsɛtˌʌp /

noun

1. Surveying.

   1. station.

   2. a surveying instrument precisely positioned for observations from a station.

   3. a gap between the end of a chain or tape being used for a measurement and the point toward which it is laid.

2. setting-up exercise.

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set up British  

verb

1. (also intr) to put into a position of power, etc

2. (also intr) to begin or enable (someone) to begin (a new venture), as by acquiring or providing means, equipment, etc

3. to build or construct

   to set up a shed

4. to raise, cause, or produce

   to set up a wail

5. to advance or propose

   to set up a theory

6. to restore the health of

   the sea air will set you up again

7. to establish (a record)

8. informal to cause (a person) to be blamed, accused, etc

9. informal

   1. to provide (drinks, etc) for

      set 'em up, Joe!

   2. to pay for the drinks of

      I'll set up the next round

10. printing another term for set 1

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noun

1. informal the way in which anything is organized or arranged

2. slang an event the result of which is prearranged

   it's a setup

3. a prepared arrangement of materials, machines, etc, for a job or undertaking

4. a station at which a surveying instrument, esp a theodolite, is set up

5. films the position of the camera, microphones, and performers at the beginning of a scene

adjective

1. physically well-built

set up Idioms  

1. Place in an upright position, as in I keep setting up this lamp but it won't stay up . [c. 1200]

2. Elevate, raise; also, put in a position of authority or power, as in They set him up as their leader . [Late 1300s]

3. Put oneself forward, claim to be, as in He set himself up as an authority on the banking system . [Mid-1800s]

4. Assemble, erect, make ready for use, as in They set up the sound system last night . [c. 1200]

5. Establish, found, as in They set up a new charity for the homeless . [Early 1400s]

6. Establish in business by providing capital or other backing, as in His father set her up in a new dental practice . [First half of 1500s]

7. Treat someone to drinks, pay for drinks, as in Please let us set you up tonight . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

8. Stimulate or exhilarate, as in That victory really set up our team . [c. 1600]

9. Lay plans for, as in I think they set up the kidnapping months ago . [First half of 1900s]

10. Prepare someone for a deception or trickery or joke, as in They set up their victim for the usual real estate scam , or Her friends set her up so that she was the only person in costume . [Mid-1900s]

11. Cause, bring about, as in The new taxes set up howls of protest . [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

set-up set up

Such stores source their supplies directly from domestic producers, a set-up that, for now, eliminates any risk of food shortages, he added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

A 10-member committee has now been set-up to determine exactly what happened.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Tuchel said the onus was now on players to impress in the international set-up.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

He compared the stock-market set-up to the dot-com boom.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

It is clear that this strange peep-show set-up ensured that the viewer looked at both the painting and the Baptistry with one eye—geometrical perspective depends on a single point of view.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

In the 2015 New Year Honours list, she was appointed a Dame Commander in recognition of the two helpline services she set up.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Sweden's truth commission, set up in 2021, was tasked with charting and investigating the policies affecting the Sami and their implementation.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Beijing and Washington confirmed that they will set up bilateral communication channels for AI issues, but didn’t provide any details.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

MJ, who is her tour producer, would set up all of these little things so when we come to the venue it’s like inner child work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

A dog set up a furious din and ran at us, stopping short a couple of feet away and barking as though to waken the dead.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• arrange
• assemble
• begin
• build
• build up
• construct
• create
• erect
• establish
• found
• inaugurate
• initiate
• install
• institute
• introduce
• launch
• open
• organize
• prepare
• put up