set up

See also:setupandset-up

English

Pronunciation

enPR:sĕt'ŭp'

Verb

set up (third-person singular simple presentsets up,present participlesetting up,simple past and past participleset up)

(transitive) Toready for use.
Weset up the sprinkler.
(transitive) To arrange logically.
Set up my CD collection.
(transitive) To cause to happen.
Even a minor change canset up new bugs.
- 2018 July 3, Phil McNulty, “Colombia 1 - 1 England”, inBBC Sport‎^[1]:
  England's famous victorysets up a meeting with Sweden in Samara on Saturday
(transitive) Totrap orensnare.
I've got toset up that tasty rabbit.
(transitive) To arrange for anoutcome; totamper orrig.
The election wasset up!
(intransitive) Toready something for use.
(intransitive) Togel orharden.
Give the cement 24 hours toset up before walking on it.
(intransitive) To level torise in one part of a body of water, especially a shallow one, because of a storm surge caused by persistent wind.
The levelset up at the south end of the lake after a day of north winds.
(transitive) To provide the money or other support that someone needs for an important task or activity.
Winning the lottery hasset themup for life.
A good breakfast reallysets youup for the day.
- 1995,HAL Laboratory,EarthBound,Nintendo,Super Nintendo Entertainment System:
  If you ever need anything, come back here, and I'll set you up!
(transitive) To establish someone in a business or position.
After he left college, his fatherset himup in the family business.
Sheset herselfup as an interior designer.
(informal,transitive,criminology) Totrick orlure (someone) in order toentrap them.
Synonyms:frame,frame up,put up
They claimed that they weren't selling drugs, but that they'd beenset up by the police.
(transitive) To make (someone)proud orconceited (often in passive).
- 1992, Hilary Mantel,A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial, published2007, pages286–7:
  M. Robespierre looked at me sideways and smiled and said to Madame, ‘You're a young lady after my own heart.’ Thisset herup for the day.
(transitive) Tomatchmake; to arrange adate between two people.
(sports,transitive) To create agoalscoring opportunity (for).
- 2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2 - 0 Wigan”, inBBC Sport‎^[2]:
  Just past the hour Agbonlahorset up the second, crossing for Bent to net.
- 2024 May 6, Sid Lowe, “Portu’s brilliant burst seals Girona’s top-four fairytale in the perfect way”, inThe Guardian‎^[3],→ISSN:
  On 71.05, Portu brilliantlyset up Yangel Herrera, only for Marc-André ter Stegen to make a sensational save.
(dated,intransitive) To begin business or a scheme of life.
toset up in trade; toset up for oneself
Toprofess openly; to makepretensions.
- 1744 (first printed)Jonathan Swift,On the Testimony of Conscience
  those men whoset up for morality without regard to religion, are generally virtuous but in part
(transitive) Tofound; to start (a business, scheme)
- 2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, inthe Guardian‎^[4]:
  With the help of his wife Bilquis, heset up a maternal health clinic and a centre for abandoned children.
(boxing) To deceive an opponent and capitalize on their reactions with a certain technique or maneuver.
- 1950, Jack Dempsey, chapter 23, inChampionship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense:
  When you make an opening you merely cause an opponent to uncover a target somewhere on his person. But when youset up an opponent, you knock him off balance with one punch so that he should be an open target for a following punch. Unless he's knocked off balance, he's notset up.
- 1997 September 24, Joe Duffy, “TRIBUTES TO THE MAN AND THE BOXER”, inHartford Courant‎^[5]:
  Writer Danny Wamboldt of Ring magazine said, "Only Willie knew how toset up his opponents masterfully and then move in." Wamboldt, a former New England bantamweight champion and current national president of the Veteran Boxers Association, said that one of Pep's opponents said of his dazzling speed: "It was the first time he had been surrounded by one man."
To cause to take flight; toflush into the air.
- 1938, Norman Lindsay,Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.:Ure Smith, published1962,→OCLC, page27:
  Edmund had enjoyed a good gallop over the downs,setting up the sandpipers[.]
(obsolete,printing)Synonym ofcompose (To arrange (types) in a composing stick for printing; to typeset)