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Glite Dictionary
to set one's cap at

to set one's cap at

9.9
To try to get someone to marry you
  • idiom
  • Archaic
: pretender
  • She is trying hard to set her cap at the new teacher, hoping to win his affection.

Examples

  • Didn't I tell you that Blanche had set her cap at him?

    Jane Eyre (1943)

  • Why set your cap at Willoughby when you've already made such a conquest?

    Sense and Sensibility (1995)

  • After months of flirting, he finally decided to set his cap at his longtime crush.

  • It's clear that she has set her cap at that charming gentleman at the party.

Synonyms

to hit on
vsto set one's cap at
  • NSFW
194 7.8

Try to show romantic or sexual interest in someone by making advances

involves intended marriage pursuit rather than brief casual advances
to court
vsto set one's cap at
  • Formal
55 4.2

To try to win someone's love, often to form a serious relationship

is more general effort to attract rather than long sustained pursuit
to chase
vsto set one's cap at
  • NSFW
26 4.0

To try to start a romantic relationship with someone

is focused on marriage intent and steady courtship rather than brief pursuit
to chase after
vsto set one's cap at
  • NSFW
7 3.7

To try to begin a romantic relationship with someone

is aimed at marriage or long term romance rather than casual pursuit
to declare oneself
vsto set one's cap at
  • Archaic
1 7.8

Say you want to marry someone and ask them to marry you

is broader pursuit to attract rather than a formal proposal

Antonyms

to reject
760 1.9

Refuse to accept someone or something

to repel
50 4.2

Make someone or something move back and stay away, often by using force

How Interested

to propose
210 3.5
to woo
59 4.6
to court
  • Formal
55 4.2
to set one's cap at
  • Archaic
9.9
to fancy
  • UK
79 3.2
to admire
621 1.6
to notice
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

set one's cap at infinitive
set one's cap at past
set one's cap at past participle
setting one's cap at present participle
sets one's cap at third person singular

Morphology

set + one's + cap + at

The meaning 'to try to attract or pursue someone' cannot be derived from the literal parts 'set' (put), 'one's' (possessive), 'cap' (hat) and 'at' — there is no obvious compositional link between placing a hat and courting. This is an archaic, culture-specific idiom whose historical signaling of romantic interest is not transparent to a B1 learner, so the expression is unpredictable from its constituents.

Etymology

The idiom set one's cap at may come from an old custom where a woman would set her cap toward a man she liked, a small hat signal that showed her interest. So, it came to mean 'to try to attract or win someone', often with the idea of 'to marry'.