set for life
8
4.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
asegurado para toda la vida
- And whatever happens, Juliette will be set for life.
- pretty set for life
- set for life now
- family set for life
Examples
-
Now, he and his family would be set for life, even if he never played another game in the NHL.
Fiction book (2000) -
We are set for life with this stash.
-
If this deal goes through, we're set for life.
-
We are set for life now, boys!
-
I thought I was set for life.
Fiction book (1996) -
I'll be set for life.
-
If she gets on the main roster, she is set for life.
-
Now I'm set for life.
-
By thirty-five, he was set for life and decided to go into politics.
Fiction book (2002) -
If you had a successful career and saved wisely, you could be set for life.
Synonyms
8
5.6
Being rich and able to buy what you want
To have enough money to live well for the rest of your life
To have enough money to live comfortably
Having enough money to live comfortably
Antonyms
How Secure
520
2.5
- Informal
8
4.2
117
3.6
107
2.9
194
1.3
- Informal
237
1.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'set' (secured/established) with 'for life' (lasting a lifetime), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely infer a sense of being permanently secure. However, the specific financial connotation ('having enough money for the rest of one’s life') is pragmatic and not explicitly stated by the parts, so the exact meaning may not be fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Set for life comes from the idea of something being put in place, set, so it will last for your life. Imagine getting enough money that you never need to work again, so that's why it means 'financially secure' for the rest of your life.