Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
👜 To put down 📝 To write officially 🛬 To land 🚐 To drop off
to set down

to set down

9 3.6
To land on the ground or another surface
  • phrasal verb
  • /sɛt daʊn/
translation icon : aterrizar
  • The moment we set down on the pebbly beach, all three women headed for the airlock.
  • helicopters set down

We're talking about things that will set down and create a whole new plant.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Reverse thrusters and look for a place to set down.

    The Black Hole (1979)

  • His team's landing module had set down in a region known as the Sea of Tranquility.

    Blog text (29)

  • We'll set down on the west.

    Dune (2021)

  • We'll set down in that field near the lake.

    Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

  • Set us down right over there.

    Neil Stryker and The Tyrant of Time (2017)

  • Suddenly, he sees the helicopter setting down ahead of him at the mouth of the tunnel.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The helicopters set down in darkness and then lifted away.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Once the cloaked ships set down, the next phase of the invasion may begin.

    From Life (2018)

  • The crew of the U.S.S. Phoenix set down on the dry, hard, dusty planet of Mars.

    Academic text (1990)

  • The pilot skillfully set down the helicopter on the roof of the building.

Synonyms

to land
vsto set down
∞ 1.0

To come down and rest on a surface

is the same action but used broadly for vehicles and aircraft
to touch down
vsto set down
45 3.6

To land on the ground after a flight

is broader, applying to vehicles coming to rest not only flight contact
to put down
vsto set down
  • Specialized
28 5.8

To land a plane in an emergency

is the neutral term for coming to rest, not limited to emergencies
to land the plane
vsto set down
  • Specialized
8 3.5

To bring a plane down safely at an airport

focuses on safe pilot action rather than neutral coming to rest
to alight
vsto set down
2 6.6

To come down and land after flying, like a bird on a branch

applies more to vehicles and machines than to animals or small items
to alight on
vsto set down
2 6.8

To come down and settle lightly on something

describes general coming to rest without implying a light gentle touch
to alit
vsto set down
  • Archaic
9.7

To land gently after flying, like a bird or insect

is used for vehicles and larger objects rather than small animals

Antonyms

to take off
478 1.9

To leave the ground and begin to fly

to ascend
54 4.0

To move upward to a higher place, for example up a hill or into the sky

How Controlled

to set down
9 3.6
to touch down
45 3.6
to land
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

set down infinitive
set down past
set down past participle
setting down present participle
sets down third person singular

Morphology

set + down

The meaning 'to remove from a vehicle and leave at a particular place' is directly derivable from combining a putting/placing sense of 'set' with 'down' (to a lower/place position). This verb+particle composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern (place/put + down = deposit/drop off), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely understand it.

Etymology

Set down comes from the simple image of lowering a machine to the ground, like gently placing a toy plane on the floor. That's why pilots use it to mean 'to land'.