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setout

[ set-out ]
/ ˈsɛtˌaʊt /
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noun Informal.
preparations, especially for beginning a journey.
start or outset.
things set or laid out for use or display, as food on a table.
getup or outfit.
an entertaining event.
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Origin of setout

First recorded in 1800–10; noun use of verb phrase set out

Words nearby setout

set one's seal on, set one's sights on, set one's teeth on edge, set on fire, setose, setout, set piece, setpoint, set right, set sail, setscrew
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to setout

expand, open, set up, use, arrange, construct, create, describe, devise, draft, fashion, form, invent, lay out, perform, produce, work out, advertise, boast, demonstrate

How to use setout in a sentence

  • As soon as the victims proved favourable they all setout, the Arcadians following with the rest.

    Anabasis|Xenophon

British Dictionary definitions for setout

set out
verb (adverb, mainly tr)
to present, arrange, or displayhe set the flowers out in the vase
to give a full account of; explain exactlyhe set out the matter in full
to plan or lay out (a garden, etc)
(intr) to begin or embark on an undertaking, esp a journey
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with setout

set out
1

Begin an earnest attempt, as in He set out to prove his point, or We accomplished what we set out to do. [Late 1800s]

2

Lay out systematically, as in She set out all the reports in chronological order. [Second half of 1500s]

3

Display for exhibition or sale, as in The Japanese restaurant set out samples of all the different kinds of sushi. [c. 1300]

4

Plant, as in It was time to set out the seedlings. [Early 1800s]

5

Begin a journey, as in They set out at dawn. [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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