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

A star volleyball setter at Fairfax High, she gave up a University of Arizona scholarship her freshman year after breaking her wrist and finding it “too hard to watch the games and not be involved.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 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

When he joins the former volleyball powerhouse Karasuno High School, he butts heads with his former rival, setter Tobio Kageyama.

From Salon • Dec. 26, 2025

“The budget is unlikely to affect monetary policy much either way,” said Michael Saunders, a senior economic advisor at Oxford Economics and a former BOE rate setter, in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

Truly our all-time gay-straight high five record setter.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith