set free

set free — phrasal verb

  • sets free3rd person singular
  • setting free-ing form
  • set freepast simple

1. to let a person who is being held in a jail or prison walk out and go free, beca

1.片語動詞及物B1
釋義

to let a person who is being held in a jail or prison walk out and go free, because their sentence has ended or they have been cleared of the crime

例句

The judge set Brandon free as soon as the real thief confessed.

set + [name] + free for legal release

After ten years in prison, Lakan was finally set free last Tuesday.

passive: was set free

同義詞
  • release

    more formal and common in legal or official contexts

  • free

    simpler and more direct; can also be used for non-prison contexts

  • let out

    informal; can apply to animals or people released from any confined space

反義詞
  • imprison

    to put someone in prison as punishment

  • lock up

    informal; to put someone in a locked room or cell

  • detain

    to hold someone officially, often for questioning rather than as a sentence

文法句型

set + [someone] + free

set free + [someone]

用法筆記

Object is always a person who has been imprisoned. The agent is most often a court, judge, or legal authority, but can also be guards or prison staff acting on orders.

常見錯誤

❌The police set the thief free after questioning him.
✅The police released the thief after questioning him.
💡'set free' implies ending a prison sentence, not releasing someone from short-term custody.
❌They set free him yesterday.
✅They set him free yesterday.
💡the object pronoun must come between 'set' and 'free'.

2. to remove the rules, limits, or control that have been stopping a person from li

2.片語動詞及物B1
釋義

to remove the rules, limits, or control that have been stopping a person from living, acting, or speaking as they wish

例句

Moving to a new city set Emre free from his family's expectations.

set + [name] + free from [constraint]

Learning to paint set Tunde free after years of working a desk job he hated.

同義詞
  • liberate

    more formal; often used for political or social freedom

  • emancipate

    very formal; typically used in legal or historical contexts

  • unshackle

    literary or figurative; emphasises the dramatic removal of restraints

反義詞
  • restrain

    to hold someone back from doing something

  • confine

    to keep someone within limits or inside a space

  • bind

    to tie someone down, literally or figuratively

文法句型

set + [someone] + free from + [constraint]

set + [someone] + free to + [infinitive]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (RELEASE FROM JAIL): this sense describes freedom from social, emotional, or practical limits, not from physical imprisonment. The object is the person being liberated; the constraint is introduced with 'from'.

常見錯誤

❌The weekend set me free from work.
✅The weekend gave me a break from work.
💡'set free' suggests a deep and lasting liberation, not a short rest or pause.
❌She set free from her bad habits.
✅She set herself free from her bad habits.
💡the verb needs an object; you cannot use 'set free' without saying who is being freed.