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Glite Dictionary
to set the game

to set the game

3.2
To choose a date and time for a game
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : programar el juego
  • It took a while to set the game, but we finally agreed on a date and time.

Examples

  • "They set the game for the next Saturday night."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The coach decided to set the game for 7 PM to accommodate everyone’s schedule.

  • After much discussion, they managed to set the game for next weekend.

Synonyms

to schedule
vsto set the game
789 3.0

To arrange something to happen at a certain time

is specific to fixing sporting events at exact dates
to program
vsto set the game
  • US
53 3.1

To plan the times and order of events

organizes a single sporting event's time rather than a whole event series
to slot
vsto set the game
8 4.0

To assign a time or place for something

focuses on fixing an event's time and date rather than a single placement

Antonyms

to cancel
814 1.0

To decide that a planned event will not happen

Surface Forms

set the game infinitive
set the game past
set the game past participle
setting the game present participle
sets the game third person singular

Morphology

set + the + game

The meaning 'to arrange or schedule a game' is directly derivable from combining 'set' (to prepare/arrange) with 'game' (a contest), following the same compositional pattern as 'set the date' or 'set the meeting'. This is a common, literal use of 'set' and is cross-linguistically paralleled, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely understand the MWE.

Etymology

Set the game comes from the simple idea of putting a game on a calendar or in a plan. To set means to fix a time and a game is the match, so that's why 'to set the game' means 'to arrange or schedule a game'.