set-to
noun
a usually brief, sharp fight or argument.
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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
The three-issue set-to opened in Marvel Mystery Comics No. 8 and is an early example of the Marvel motto “to reflect the world outside your window.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2022
What was most striking about this set-to was how much Warren seemed to be enjoying it.
From The New Yorker ● May 17, 2016
France complained to Fifa after spotting one monitoring their leg-stretches at Botafogo’s Santa Cruz stadium, causing the tournament’s first set-to.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 21, 2014
"But if you do have a set-to with her?"
From The Spoils of Poynton by James, Henry
Glencore said Wednesday that its marketing division is set to report adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of around $3.3 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Samsung is due to report earnings Thursday, while Kioxia and US titans Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Amazon are also set to announce.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Jersey Mike’s Subs is set to debut on the New York Stock Exchange at an $8 billion valuation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Amber and yellow heat health alerts are set to come into force on Wednesday as parts of the UK endure the fourth widespread heatwave of the year so far.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
She took a black crayon and set to work lining Anat’s eyes.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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
The Gants' tumultuous strifes and set-tos constantly startle and sometimes even rout the genteel, almost ghostly boarders.
From Time Magazine Archive
There will be some grand set-tos between mother and Robert.
From A Reconstructed Marriage by Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston
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.
