setup

[set-uhp]

noun

1. organization; arrangement.

2. an act or instance of setting up or getting ready.

   The setup of the lights and camera took most of the morning.

3. the carriage of the body; bearing.

4. a camera position, as for a particular shot.

5. everything required for an alcoholic drink except the liquor, as a glass, ice, and soda water, as served to patrons who provide their own liquor.

6. Informal.

   1. an undertaking or contest deliberately made easy.

   2. a match or game arranged with an opponent who can be defeated without risk or effort.

   3. an opponent easy to defeat.

7. Sports.

   1. a shot or play that results in a puck, shuttlecock, ball, or balls being so positioned as to provide a player with an easy opportunity for a winning shot.

      a playmaker who excels in setups.

   2. the position of such a puck, ball, etc..

      a setup close to and to the left of the goalkeeper.

   3. the puck, ball, etc., itself.

      The wing banged the setup into the goal.

8. an arrangement of all the tools, parts, apparatus, etc., necessary for any of various specific jobs or purposes.

9. the equipment or items necessary for a particular activity or period; kit.

   Each student gets a weekly setup of clean blankets, sheets, and towels.

10. a plan or projected course of action.

11. a prearranged situation or circumstance, usually created to fool or trap someone; trick; scheme.

Usage

See login.

Word History and Origins

Origin of setup¹

First recorded in 1600–10; noun use of verb phrase set up

Example Sentences

Children ran and played in the water, couples with full beach setups caught a slight buzz in the sweltering heat and American flags decorated the sands like a planet conquered.

From Los Angeles Times

“They say horror and comedy is so similar in the filmmaking that they both have setup, expectations rising, then there’s a punch line,” he continued.

From Salon

The mobile setup aims to be warm and welcoming, with shaded tables and a “cookout” theme meant to provide a sense of safety, closeness and comfort.

From Los Angeles Times

“It is possible that it was a setup, that the Vietnamese had it all planned,” Fonda wrote in 2011.

From Los Angeles Times

"We hadn't seen the setup before, so walking in it was absolutely amazing."

From BBC

Related Words

• composition 
• foundation 
• set-up 
• structure 
• system