setup

American  

[set-uhp] / ˈsɛtˌʌp /

noun

setups plural

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.

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Usage

See login.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• setups
  plural

Etymology

Origin of setup

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

setup setups

This setup allowed the team to monitor hundreds of caregiving interactions.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

The airline is going back to one mile per dollar spent at the coffee chain from its current setup where you get miles for downloading money to your Starbucks Rewards card.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

In the U-M setup, the material absorbs the incoming light through two pathways at the same time.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

But after a familiar setup, the movie stubbornly refuses to go in compelling new directions or offer fresh observations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Due to the restaurant-like setup of the Bras Prep senior lounge, Jared, Manny, and their “crew”—Kyle Berkeley, Tyler Clepp, and Blake Benson—don’t see Justyce sitting in the back booth when they come in.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

There were already about 100 to 200 fans in the park, about six hours before the first whistle; laughing, drinking, lending a hand to vendor setups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

“We see potential for higher consumer sentiment and group valuations ahead,” they say, noting particularly good setups for Dick’s Sporting Goods, Crocs and Adidas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

By the early 1990s, some crews in the U.K. began throwing megaraves more spiritually akin to experiential carnivals than to more lowkey dance-floor-and-DJ setups.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

But this is only a memory — a child’s version of an experience, filmed with all of the bright colors and simple setups of an illustration in a storybook.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

Photos from the apartment setups and different families are rotating on the screen, and Rabiya points to one with a mother, father, and three kids when it comes up again.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Related Words

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