setter

American  

[set-er] / ˈsɛt ər /

noun

• setters
  plural

1. a person or thing that sets.

2. one of any of several breeds of hunting dogs that originally had the habit of crouching when game was scented but that are now trained to stand stiffly and point the muzzle toward the scented game.

3. Volleyball. a player who lofts the ball high for a teammate near the net to spike.

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setter British  

/ ˈsɛtə /

noun

1. any of various breeds of large gun dog, having silky coats and plumed tails See English setter Gordon setter Irish setter

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• setters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of setter

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at set, -er ¹

Explanation

A setter is a breed of dog that's sporty and good at hunting. Most setters are energetic, friendly dogs with long, silky hair. Setters have been around since the 1400s, bred to be experts at catching the scent of a pheasant or quail in the air. Well-trained Irish and English setters assist hunters by standing absolutely still when they smell game birds, originally crouching or setting to indicate where they were. Another kind of setter is someone who places, or sets, the letters and numbers in typeface, lining up the words in a newspaper headline before it's printed, for example.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

setter setters

China is a price setter for fertilizer inputs like sulfur coming out of the Gulf.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

The central midfielder is Panama's tempo setter and creative spark, working tirelessly in and out of possession and showcasing an impressive ability to wriggle out of tight spaces and drive the team upfield.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Redshirt freshman setter Cameron Kosty had 53 set assists and nine digs.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026

The U.K. rate setter estimates that the interest rate at which the BOE is neither stimulating nor restraining the economy is 3%, while the current rate is 3.75%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

He abandoned the noiseless transparencies and pointed at the center of the spreading rings like a setter.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

"The biggest challenge is to get trusted question setters," he says.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The central bank’s rate setters announce their latest policy decision Thursday, and are expected to leave the key rate unchanged.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

But farmers are "price takers, not price setters", as he put it.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

It’ll have to get downright ugly to sway rate setters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

He looked at dogs crossed with wolves and with foxes; he looked at Persian greyhounds, Italian greyhounds, setters, and spaniels.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman