setting

/ˈsetɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsetɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈse-tiŋ/ (ame, mw)

setting — noun

  • settingsingular
  • settingsplural

1. The physical location of a house, village, or other structure, particularly in r

1.名詞B2
釋義

The physical location of a house, village, or other structure, particularly in relation to the landforms, scenery, or other buildings around it.

例句

The mountain village's setting among the pine forests offers peace and quiet.

setting + of + place: the physical location of a structure

Tendai chose the house for its beautiful setting near the lake.

同義詞
  • location

    more general term for a place; less emphasis on surroundings

  • surroundings

    focuses on the environment around, not the structure itself

  • site

    more formal; often used for construction or historical places

文法句型

setting + of + place noun

adjective + setting

用法筆記

Commonly paired with adjectives describing physical geography: rural setting, coastal setting, mountain setting, urban setting.

常見錯誤

❌The setting of the party was at my house.
✅The party was at my house.
💡When referring to the location of an event, 'setting' is more natural for describing the surroundings rather than the address.
❌I like the setting of this table.' (when meaning the surface arrangement)
✅I like the arrangement on this table.
💡'setting' for furniture position focuses on the house's location, not items on a table.

2. The period and location where a story told in a novel, movie, drama, or TV progr

2.名詞B1
釋義

The period and location where a story told in a novel, movie, drama, or TV programme unfolds.

例句

The novel's setting is a small Italian village during the 1950s.

setting + of + story/novel/film/play

Anya loved the futuristic setting of the film with its flying cars and robot servants.

同義詞
  • background

    less precise; can refer to context rather than specific time and place

  • context

    broader — includes social and historical circumstances, not just time and place

  • scene

    often refers to one specific location within a story, not the overall setting

文法句型

setting + of + story/novel/film/play

setting + for + story

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 8 (FILM SET): sense 2 refers to the fictional time and place portrayed in a story, whereas sense 8 refers to the physical scenery and location where filming or staging actually happens.

常見錯誤

❌The setting of the movie studio is in Hollywood.
✅The movie studio is located in Hollywood.
💡A real building's location is its actual site, not its 'setting.'

3. The collection of plates, cutlery, glasses, and other tableware laid out for one

3.名詞B2
釋義

The collection of plates, cutlery, glasses, and other tableware laid out for one person at a meal.

例句

The waiter laid a setting with a soup spoon, fish knife and two wine glasses.

count noun: 'a setting' for one person's tableware

Each place setting at the wedding had a gold-rimmed plate and a crystal water glass.

同義詞
  • place setting

    the full compound term; more precise and common in everyday use

  • table service

    can refer to a matching set of dishes, not necessarily arranged for one person

文法句型

place setting

dinner setting

setting + for + number + people

用法筆記

Often used in the compound 'place setting.' The full expression 'place setting' distinguishes it from other senses. When specifying quantity, say 'six settings' not 'six place settings' (though both occur).

4. A selectable position along a machine's dial or panel that determines its perfor

4.名詞B1
釋義

A selectable position along a machine's dial or panel that determines its performance, such as the temperature on an oven or the speed on a fan.

例句

Turn the oven setting to one hundred and eighty degrees to bake the bread.

setting + on/at + value/level

Eli adjusted the thermostat setting to a cooler temperature before going to bed.

同義詞
  • level

    focuses on the degree or amount, not the control position

  • mode

    implies a program or function, not just a numerical level

文法句型

setting + on + device

number + setting

adjective + setting

常見錯誤

❌I put the oven on a high setting' (vague).
✅I set the oven to two hundred degrees.
💡When a specific value is known, name it rather than using 'setting' alone.

5. A particular operating mode or function that can be turned on, off, or otherwise

5.名詞A2
釋義

A particular operating mode or function that can be turned on, off, or otherwise selected on a mobile phone, camera, computer, or similar electronic device.

例句

Lan switched her phone to silent setting before the meeting started.

setting for a device mode: silent, night, airplane, power-saving

The camera's night setting takes clearer pictures when there is very little light.

同義詞
  • mode

    interchangeable in technology contexts; 'mode' may sound slightly more technical

  • function

    more general; a function does something, while a setting is a configured state

文法句型

setting + on + device

adjective + setting

setting + for + function

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 6 (OPTIONS MENU): sense 5 refers to an individual function or mode you select (silent setting, night setting), whereas sense 6 refers to the settings menu area where you make such selections.

6. The part of a smartphone, laptop, or other gadget's interface that lets users vi

6.名詞B1
釋義

The part of a smartphone, laptop, or other gadget's interface that lets users view and alter its behaviour and appearance.

例句

Felix found the Bluetooth option in the main setting of his phone.

the setting: the menu/area where preferences are adjusted

You can change your password in the security setting of the app.

同義詞
  • preferences

    common on computers, especially for software customisation

  • configuration

    more technical; used in computing contexts

  • options menu

    less common on mobile phones, more common in software

文法句型

setting + on/in + device

the + adjective + setting

setting + menu

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the compounds 'settings menu' or 'settings app.' On smartphones, this sense often refers to a dedicated 'Settings' icon or screen. May be pluralised as 'settings' (e.g., 'go to your phone settings').

常見錯誤

❌I changed a setting in the settings.
✅I changed an option in the settings menu.
💡Avoid using 'setting' twice in the same short phrase; use 'option' or 'preference' for the individual item.

7. the metal frame on a ring or necklace used to keep a gemstone safely fixed.

7.名詞B1
釋義

the metal frame on a ring or necklace used to keep a gemstone safely fixed.

例句

The diamond fell out of its gold setting while Bao was washing dishes.

Élise chose a simple silver setting for her sapphire so the stone would stand out.

同義詞
  • mount

    more technical, often used in jewellery-making contexts

  • mounting

    emphasises the structural frame that holds the gem

  • frame

    less specific; can refer to any border or support

用法筆記

Often paired with a metal type (gold setting, silver setting) or a mounting style (bezel setting, claw setting, pave setting). The setting is the metal frame, not the stone itself.

常見錯誤

❌The ring's diamond fell out of the setting and was lost.
✅The diamond fell out of its setting and was lost.
💡'Setting' refers to the metal mount, not the whole ring.
❌I put a candle on the table setting' (confusing with sense 3, a place setting).
✅The jeweller showed us different settings for the ruby.
💡When talking about jewellery, setting means the metal frame holding a gem.

8. the built environment used when making a film or showing a play, including furni

8.名詞B1
釋義

the built environment used when making a film or showing a play, including furniture, backdrops, and other objects that create the scene.

例句

The director walked onto the setting and asked for brighter lights behind the actors.

collocation: walk onto / step onto the setting

Workers spent three weeks building a medieval castle setting for the new movie.

同義詞
  • set

    shorter and more common in film and theatre production; 'setting' sounds slightly more formal

  • stage set

    specifically for theatre productions

  • soundstage

    a large indoor space built for film or TV production

用法筆記

Do not confuse with sense 2, which refers to the fictional time and place where a story takes place (e.g., 'a novel set in 19th-century London'). Sense 8 refers to the physical production environment — the built scenery, props, and lighting used during filming or performance.

常見錯誤

❌The story's setting is a small fishing village in Ireland.' (This is sense 2 — the fictional location of the narrative.)
✅The crew built the setting for the fishing village on a soundstage in London.
💡Sense 8 is about the physical production set, not the story's location.

9. a piece of music composed for existing written material, like a poem or lyric, t

9.名詞B2
釋義

a piece of music composed for existing written material, like a poem or lyric, turning it into a song that can be performed.

例句

The composer wrote a beautiful musical setting for the poem 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree.'

setting + for + [poem/text]: a setting for a poem

Faisal's choir performed a setting of Psalm 23 set to a simple folk tune.

同義詞
  • musical arrangement

    broader — can mean any reworking of existing music, not necessarily for text

  • composition

    more general; a setting is one type of composition

  • score

    the written form of the music; more technical

文法句型

setting + of + text

musical setting

用法筆記

This sense is used specifically for music composed to fit existing words (poems, psalms, lyrics). It does not apply to songs where the words and music were created together by the same person. The preposition 'of' is typically used: 'a setting of a poem by Yeats.'

常見錯誤

❌I like the setting of this song.' (Vague; songs usually have words and music written together.)
✅The composer's setting of the sonnet was performed at the concert.
💡'Setting' means music written specifically for existing text.