setting
Americannoun
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settings
plural
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the act of a person or thing that sets.
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the surroundings or environment of anything.
The garden was a perfect setting for the house.
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the mounting in which a jewel is set.
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a group of all the articles, as of china, silver, or glass, required for setting a table or a single place at a table.
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the locale or period in which the action of a novel, play, film, etc., takes place.
The setting of this story is Verona in the 15th century.
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Also called stage setting, stage set. the scenery and other properties used in a dramatic performance.
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Music.
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a piece of music composed for certain words.
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a piece of music composed for a particular medium, or arranged for other than the original medium.
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noun
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the surroundings in which something is set; scene
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the scenery, properties, or background, used to create the location for a stage play, film, etc
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music a composition consisting of a certain text and music provided or arranged for it
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the metal mounting and surround of a gem
diamonds in an antique gold setting
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the tableware, cutlery, etc, for a single place at table
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any of a series of points on a scale or dial that can be selected to control the level as of temperature, speed, etc, at which a machine functions
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a clutch of eggs in a bird's nest, esp a clutch of hen's eggs
Synonym Usage
See environment.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of setting
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English; see origin at set, -ing 1
Explanation
A setting is where something is set, or placed. If you want to propose to your beloved, try to choose a romantic setting. To set means to put in place, so a setting is a placement. If you are a jeweler, you will spend a lot of time making silver and gold settings for precious stones. Setting can also mean context. If you tell me that you spent the whole weekend cooing and clucking, before I decide that you’re crazy, you might explain to me that the setting of that clucking was the birth of all the little chicks on your friend’s farm.
Vocabulary lists containing setting
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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:
The main living and dining areas flow into one another, creating an airy setting for entertaining or relaxing at home.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
After setting their sights on a history-making three-peat, the Dodgers will have to win the next four games just to advance to the World Series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
With City providing a dramatic backdrop off the pitch, the game more than matched the setting.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
This uneven heating created a temperature difference across the Moon's molten interior, setting off large-scale horizontal circulation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
Farther down the sidewalk, a young girl is setting up a stand with an assortment of beaded key rings for sale.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Artificial fingers and thumbs, for example, can help patients feel more confident in social settings while addressing some of the challenges associated with missing digits.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Taking advantage of your camera’s built-in security features—and maintaining them—can often be done by toggling a few settings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Because the antenna is created by a laser rather than built from a fixed metal structure, its dimensions can be adjusted by changing the laser's settings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026
They forecast that the MAS will increase the slope of its exchange-rate policy band “very slightly” by 25 basis points to 1.50%, while leaving other settings unchanged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
All of these settings are part of a person’s enculturation, or learning one’s culture through experiences, observations, and both formal and informal settings.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
