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Glite Dictionary
to set on

to set on

8 5.8
To attack someone physically or with mean words
  • phrasal verb
  • Offensive
translation icon : atacar a
  • As Uncle Francis walked home one night, he was set on by a gang of toughs.

So so he comes back and well, man right away is just set on murdering Skinner.

Examples

  • Three men had been in the cabin, and they set on him with intent to maim.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • She was emotionally set on by her classmates, who mocked her for her unique style.

  • While he was walking through the park, a group of strangers suddenly set on him and demanded his wallet.

  • The bullies set on the new student, causing him to feel isolated and afraid.

Synonyms

to attack
vsto set on
∞ 1.3

To use force to hurt people or damage things

is narrower focusing on personal physical or emotional harm
to hit
vsto set on
∞ 2.8

To suddenly make someone feel a strong emotion

is an intentional action meant to hurt physically or emotionally
to assault
vsto set on
126 4.7

To attack someone physically or try to hurt them

is broader covering both sudden and planned harm
to assail
vsto set on
  • Formal
16 8.0

To attack violently, upset someone deeply or criticize them strongly

is similar but focuses on harming in forceful ways
to beset
vsto set on
15 7.9

To surround and cause repeated problems for someone or something

is about striking directly rather than ongoing harassment
to set upon
vsto set on
  • NSFW
5 6.9

To attack someone suddenly from several sides

is about striking one person directly rather than sudden surrounding
to lay into
vsto set on
  • NSFW
1 7.5

Hit someone or something hard and violently

is similar but often less planned and more personal

Antonyms

to defend
∞ 1.3

To protect people and things from attack or harm

How Aggressive

assault
  • Specialized
378 4.5
to attack
∞ 1.3
to set on
  • Offensive
8 5.8
to pick on
  • Informal
156 3.5
insult
  • Offensive
313 1.3
to criticize
701 3.3

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

set + on

Given the provided sense of 'set' (to urge on or set an animal to attack) combined with the preposition 'on' indicating direction toward a target, the meaning 'to attack someone' is directly derivable from the constituents. This causative/agentive composition (set [someone] on [someone]) is a transparent combinatorial pattern that a learner who knows both word meanings would readily interpret.

Etymology

Set on: The verb set on comes from the image of someone who set a dog on a person so the dog attacks, and from the same idea of getting people to attack someone together. That's why it means 'to attack someone physically or emotionally'.