setter

American  

[set-er] / ˈsɛt ər /

noun

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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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

RJ Francisco of Granada Hills had 19 kills and setter Shawn Meza contributed 46 assists.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

“Chemistry,” setter Tommy Spalding said about the Sea Hawks’ triumph.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

No rate setter wants to later be forced to do what Volcker felt he had to in 1979 to break the back of inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Mir became the pace setter after the 28-year-old clocked 1 min 56.874 sec on his Honda machine after 11 laps, to become the fastest rider over two days of testing in Malaysia.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

We’d have a setter dog and a couple stripe cats, but you gotta watch out them cats don’t get the little rabbits.”

From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck