set

Most often passive ('is set in...'). The subject is the work of fiction (book, film, play, episode); the object of 'in' names the place, time, or period.

The complement is usually a short adjective (free, loose, right, ablaze) or an -ing form. Distinguish from sense 4: sense 3 names a state ('free', 'right'); sense 4 names an action ('working', 'thinking').

Use the -ing form for the started action ('set them laughing'), not the bare infinitive. Distinguish from sense 3: here the focus is on starting an activity that continues; sense 3 describes entering a state.

More common in British than American English; American speakers often say 'give someone a task' instead. Distinguish from sense 16 (verb_b3, GIVE WORK), which is specifically about classroom homework.

Object is almost always something that defines a measure: record, standard, goal, target, limit, rule, example, price, deadline. Often paired with 'at' to give the exact value ('set the price at $20').

Object is usually a machine, timer, dial, or table laid for a meal. The fixed phrase 'set the table' means to arrange plates and cutlery; it does not fit the other senses of this verb.

Distinguish from sense 7 (preparing a machine): here the object is always a stage, set, or scene, and the goal is to create a believable place and time for performers or cameras.

Object is typically an abstract numerical value: a date, price, deadline, limit, target, or rule. Often used in the passive: 'the date has been set'.

Frequently passive: '[jewellery] is set with [stones]' or '[stone] is set in [jewellery]'. Subject of the active form is usually a jeweller or goldsmith.

Subject is almost always a doctor, surgeon, or medic; object is the broken bone or the body part containing it. Distinguish from sense 12, which is intransitive and describes the bone healing on its own.

Intransitive — the bone itself is the subject; there is no 'doer' in the sentence. Distinguish from sense 11, where a doctor is the subject and the bone is the object.

Almost always used in salon or hair-styling contexts. Frequently appears in the passive 'have your hair set' rather than as an active subject. Distinguish from sense 14 (tighten part of body) — this sense always takes 'hair' as its object.

Object is restricted to a small set of body parts that can show resolve: jaw, mouth, lips, face, chin, shoulders. Often appears in the passive ('her face was set'). Distinguish from sense 13 — this sense is about muscle tension showing emotion, not hair styling.

Subject must be a liquid or soft material — glue, cement, jelly, jam, plaster, resin, custard. Intransitive: the substance does the setting itself; you don't 'set' it actively in this sense (use 'let it set' or 'wait for it to set' instead).

Mainly British English; American teachers usually 'give' or 'assign' homework. The subject is normally a teacher, professor, or exam board, and the indirect object is the student or class.

Distinguish from sense 16 — this sense covers tasks, challenges, goals, and targets in any setting (work, sport, training), while sense 16 is specific to school assignments. Often appears in the passive ('I was set a difficult job').

The most common pattern is 'set [words] to music' or 'set [words] to a tune'. Object is always the written words (poem, lyrics, text); the music itself is introduced by 'to'. Often appears in the passive when the words are well known.

Only sense of 'set' that is intransitive with the sun, moon, or a planet as subject; never takes a direct object. Often paired with 'over', 'behind', or 'below' plus a place noun to describe where the body disappears from view.

Almost always preceded by the activity name as a modifier (chess set, train set, drum set, paint set). Differs from sense 1 in that the items are functional, not just matching.

Pairs almost always with a number plus 'of' plus the exercise (three sets of ten push-ups). The phrase 'sets and reps' is fixed gym vocabulary — sets contain reps, not the other way around.

Almost always paired with 'of' followed by the defining property. Common fixed phrases include 'the empty set', 'a finite set', and 'a subset of'. Distinguish from sense 1: a maths set is defined by a rule, while a sense-1 set is a physical group of matching items.

Almost always 'the [adjective or activity] set' (the jet set, the sporting set, the literary set). Slightly old-fashioned and sometimes mildly disapproving. Verb agreement is flexible: 'the theatre set is/are very welcoming' both occur.

The phrase 'on set' (no article) means 'at the filming location' and is a fixed industry expression — distinct from 'on the set', which can also work but emphasises one specific set. Distinguish from 'scene', which is a unit of acted story; the 'set' is the physical space where one or more scenes are filmed.

Almost always countable and used with a number or ordinal (first, second, fifth). Common collocations include 'set point', 'in straight sets', and 'win/lose/take a set'.

Frequently follows possessive pronouns (his set, their set) or 'opening/closing/encore'. Common in music journalism and gig reviews; rarely used for classical concerts, where 'movement' or 'half' is preferred.

Almost always 'the set of [body part]' or 'a [adjective] set to [body part]'. Adjectives are nearly always emotional descriptors (proud, stubborn, weary). More common in literary writing than everyday speech.

Almost always paired with another salon service: 'wash and set', 'shampoo and set', 'cut and set'. Sounds dated to younger speakers; common in older British and American English.

Almost always preceded by 'TV', 'television', or 'radio', which makes the meaning clear. On its own, 'set' for an appliance sounds old-fashioned today; younger speakers usually just say 'TV' or 'radio'.

Distinct from sense 1 (PREPARED): sense 2 predicts a future event rather than describing current readiness. Common in news headlines and forecasts where a writer signals a strong expectation.

Often carries a mildly negative tone when describing people, suggesting they refuse to adapt. Neutral when describing schedules, fees, or rules — 'set hours', 'set price', 'set menu'.

Mostly used in linguistics and language teaching. The noun is always 'phrase', 'expression', 'formula', or similar — you wouldn't say 'a set sentence' for this meaning.

Mainly British educational vocabulary. American schools more often say 'required reading' or 'assigned text'. Always sits before the noun — 'a set book', not 'the book is set'.