set

to choose where and when the events of a novel, film, or play happen — used in the passive to describe a story whose backdrop is a particular era or location, like 1920s Paris or a small island.

• take place

  describes the events themselves; 'be set' describes the author's choice of backdrop.

• locate

  more formal; less common for fiction.

to make a person or thing enter a particular state, such as making prisoners free, making a building on fire, or making someone at ease.

• make

  much more general; 'set free' is fixed but 'make free' is wrong.

• render

  formal; 'render someone speechless' is similar to 'set someone at ease'.

• leave

  to not change the state of someone or something.

to make a person or thing begin doing an activity — for instance, making a class start writing, or making a clock begin ticking again after a repair.

• get

  more casual: 'got the class thinking' is a friendlier register.

• trigger

  for sudden, often unwanted, starts.

• stop

  to make an action end, not begin.

to give a person a job, task, or duty that they have to do — for example, asking a colleague to write a report or giving a child the chore of clearing the table.

• assign

  more formal; common in workplaces and schools worldwide.

• give

  the most general verb; works in both British and American English.

• excuse

  to free someone from a duty rather than give one.

to officially decide a level, rule, target, or example that other people will then aim for, follow, or be measured against.

• establish

  more formal; suggests something lasting like a tradition or rule.

• fix

  stresses that the level cannot easily change.

• determine

  more formal; common with prices and quantities.

• break

  to beat a record rather than create one.

to adjust a machine, clock, or tool to the right number, time, or position so that it will work or do what you want — for example, choosing 7 a.m. on an alarm clock, or turning an oven dial to 180 degrees.

• adjust

  more general; can mean any small change, not only preparing for use

• program

  for digital devices that follow stored instructions, such as a thermostat or recorder

• lay

  only for tables — 'lay the table' is the British equivalent of 'set the table'

to arrange furniture, lights, and other objects on a stage or film location so that they show the place and period where the story is supposed to happen.

• dress

  industry term: 'dress the set' — to add the smaller decorative items after the main pieces are in place

• stage

  as a verb, to organise the whole performance, not only its physical objects

• strike

  industry term: 'strike the set' — to take everything down after a show ends

to choose and announce something definite — most often a date, time, price, limit, or target — so that it is fixed and other people can plan around it.

• fix

  very close in meaning, slightly more informal in British English

• establish

  more formal; suggests a longer-lasting rule rather than a single appointment

• schedule

  specifically about putting something on a calendar at a chosen time

to fasten a precious stone such as a diamond or ruby firmly into the metal of a ring, necklace, or other piece of jewellery, so that it cannot fall out.

• mount

  very close in this sense; both verbs are normal jewellery-trade words

• embed

  more general; describes pushing any small object into a surrounding material, not only stones in metal

when a medic treats a fracture by pushing the two ends of the bone back into the correct alignment and holding them still, so that the body can rebuild a single solid bone instead of two pieces.

• reset

  implies the bone has moved out of place again and must be aligned a second time

• realign

  more formal medical term; describes returning any body part to its proper position

of a fracture: to fuse and become whole again as the two ends grow back together inside the body, often staying in whatever shape the bone has been left in.

• heal

  much more general; can refer to any kind of recovery, including skin and muscle

• knit

  literary; describes broken edges joining together, especially of bone

to shape damp hair using rollers, clips, or pins, then leave it to dry so the strands hold the chosen curl or wave.

• style

  broader; covers cutting, drying, or arranging by any method

• curl

  narrower; specifically creating curls

to hold the muscles of your jaw, mouth, or face stiff so that your expression shows you are firmly decided and will not back down.

• clench

  narrower; usually used with jaw or fist, suggesting tighter grip

• harden

  stronger; suggests the expression turns cold or angry

• relax

  loosen the muscles, opposite stance

(of glue, jelly, concrete, or a similar runny mixture) to change from a soft or liquid state into a firm or solid one as it cools, dries, or reacts chemically.

• harden

  general; covers any change from soft to firm

• solidify

  more formal or scientific

• congeal

  specifically of liquids becoming jelly-like, often unappetising

• melt

  change from solid back to liquid

• soften

  become less firm

(of a teacher) to tell students which homework, essay, or exam questions they have to complete, usually with a deadline.

• assign

  more neutral; common in American English

• give

  informal; works in any variety

to hand a particular job, challenge, or performance target to a person or group, with the expectation that they will carry it out or reach it.

• assign

  neutral, common in workplace contexts

• give

  less specific; covers any kind of giving

to compose a tune that fits the rhythm and meaning of a poem, prayer, or other written words, so that singers can perform them.

• score

  more technical; usually for film or full orchestral arrangement

• compose

  broader; can mean writing music with or without lyrics

If the sun sets, or if the moon or a planet sets, it slowly drops out of sight at the far edge of the sky and disappears from view.

• go down

  everyday phrasal-verb equivalent; very common in speech

• sink

  more visual, suggests a slow descent into the horizon

• dip

  literary; describes the sun briefly touching the horizon

• rise

  the opposite movement: sun, moon, or planet appearing above the horizon

the tools or items that you need as a whole to do one particular activity — for example, all the pieces and the board you use to play chess.

• kit

  interchangeable for tools (a drum kit / drum set), but a chess set is rarely a chess kit

• outfit

  old-fashioned in this meaning; mostly replaced by 'set' or 'kit'

in the gym, a single block in which you repeat one exercise (such as a push-up or a squat) several times in a row before resting.

• round

  less specific to weight training; common in circuit or boxing contexts

in mathematics, any collection of numbers, points, or other items that share a clearly defined property — for example, all the even numbers, or every prime below twenty.

• collection

  informal substitute; most maths writing prefers 'set'

• group

  in maths, 'group' has a different technical meaning, so avoid for general sets

a circle of people who share the same hobbies, money level, or way of spending their free time, and who tend to socialise mostly with each other.

• crowd

  more informal; works in similar slots ('the theatre crowd')

• circle

  broader; doesn't imply shared lifestyle as strongly

• clique

  negative connotation; suggests an unfriendly closed group

the prepared space — together with its painted backgrounds, lights, and furniture — where actors perform a scene for a film, TV show, or play.

• stage

  for live theatre; a stage is permanent, while a set is built for one production

• scenery

  refers only to the painted background, not the whole space

• location

  a real outdoor or indoor place used for filming, not a built set

in tennis or volleyball, one of the smaller scoring sections that together make up a whole match; a player has to win several of these sections to win the match.

a continuous block of songs that a band or DJ plays at one time during a concert, especially in pop, rock, or jazz; a long show is often divided into two or three of these blocks with breaks between them.

• gig

  informal; refers to the whole performance, not just one block within it

• performance

  neutral; broader and works for any music style including classical

the way a person holds part of their body, such as the shoulders, jaw, or head, which often shows their mood or attitude — for example, a stiff jaw can suggest someone is angry or determined.

• posture

  broader; refers to how the whole body is held, not just one part

• carriage

  formal; emphasises elegance or dignity in how the body moves

a salon treatment in which wet hair is shaped with rollers, pins, or a hairdryer so that it dries in a chosen style; mostly associated with older or traditional hair-care routines.

• blow-dry

  modern equivalent; uses heat from a dryer rather than rollers and time

a single appliance built to pick up television or radio broadcasts and turn them into pictures or sound for the viewer or listener at home.

• television

  modern and far more common in everyday speech than 'television set'

• receiver

  technical; emphasises the signal-receiving function inside the device

very likely to do something soon, or in a position where something is almost certain to happen.

• poised

  more literary; emphasises balance just before action

• due

  suggests a scheduled time rather than likelihood

• expected

  neutral; widely used in formal writing

• unlikely

  the opposite expectation

fixed and not easy to change — used about routines, opinions, or ways of behaving that a person keeps repeating.

• fixed

  neutral; emphasises that it cannot move or vary

• rigid

  stronger; suggests an unwillingness to bend even when reasonable

• inflexible

  formal; often used about rules or systems

• flexible

  willing to change or adapt

• open-minded

  for people: ready to consider new ideas

describes a group of words whose order is fixed by tradition, so speakers always use the same wording rather than rearranging it.

• fixed

  in 'fixed expression'; nearly interchangeable with 'set' here

• stock

  in 'stock phrase'; suggests overuse or being a cliché

chosen by a school or examiner so that students are required to read or study it for a course or exam.

• prescribed

  more formal; common in official syllabus documents

• required

  American equivalent; 'required reading'

• assigned

  American; emphasises that a teacher gave it as homework

• optional

  students may choose whether to read it