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Glite Dictionary
to set to work

to set to work

7 3.2
To begin working right away with energy
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : ponerse a trabajar
  • Beginning in 1726, these officials set to work, fanning out into the provinces with their small retinues of assistants.
  • set to work immediately
  • then set to work

So I set to work and I actually, you know, I had continued to do M&A; consulting.

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Examples

  • Donna Fausta, after a period of decent mourning, set to work with a vengeance.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Caldern set to work soon after his election, and the battle was joined almost immediately.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Then the partners set to work making sure that such mistakes would never be made again.

    Academic text (2004)

  • So I set to work and I actually, you know, I had continued to do M&A consulting.

  • Webb was awarded the grant and set to work immediately on the Naked Poems.

    Academic text (2013)

  • So Isabelle set to work on the rule for her house, together with her team of Franciscans.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Albert's enthusiasm inspired me, and I set to work using my newfound skills.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Delores accepted that answer and set to work, composing an invitation to key politicians and scientists.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Instead, they set to work, mumbling among themselves, quarrying adobe blocks and felling trees.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • As soon as the team received the project, they set to work to meet the tight deadline.

Synonyms

to work at
vsto set to work
489 2.3

To try hard to get better at or finish something over time

starts immediately with strong energy rather than long gradual effort
to get to work
vsto set to work
  • Informal
231 2.0

To start doing your job, often after a delay

begins immediately with energy rather than after a delay
to set out
vsto set to work
150 3.2

To start doing something with a clear aim

starts immediately with energetic action rather than only having an aim
to go to work on
vsto set to work
39 3.2

To start doing a task or project seriously

begins immediately with energy rather than only seriousness
to set about
vsto set to work
21 3.4

To start doing something in a determined way

starts immediately with energetic effort rather than only organization
to set shoulder to the wheel
vsto set to work
  • Informal
8.8

To begin working very hard and not give up on a difficult task

starts immediately with energy but is less about extreme hardship
to get your ass in gear
vsto set to work
  • Offensive
9.9

To start working quickly and seriously

begins immediately with energy but in neutral, not informal, tone

Antonyms

stop
310 1.0

An act when something ends or pauses

to procrastinate
26 6.5

To delay doing something you should do because you avoid it

How Energetic

to dive in
  • Informal
23 3.7
to set to work
7 3.2
to get to work
  • Informal
231 2.0

Surface Forms

set to work infinitive
set to work past
set to work past participle
setting to work present participle
sets to work third person singular

Morphology

set + to + work

The meaning 'to begin working' is directly derivable from combining 'set' (to initiate) with 'to work' (begin working); a learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer that someone is being put or starting to perform work. The pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'ponerse a trabajar', French 'se mettre au travail'), so the expression is compositionally transparent for B1 learners.

Etymology

The phrase set to work comes from the simple image of putting things or yourself in place — you set them — and then starting the work. So, it means 'to begin working' quickly and with energy.