to set about
21
3.4
- phrasal verb
:
ponerse a
- So, he set about building a device to predict them.
- set about building
- set about the task
- set about making
Joe Biden came into office and on his first day set about reversing the hawkish Trump immigration policies.
- Joe Biden came into office and on his first day set about reversing the hawkish Trump immigration policies.
- And as we set about designing the ARM, we didn't really expect to pull it off.
- When I first set about doing it, I would say the, the, the fear level was quite high in that community of Oh my God, what's he doing?
- And it's involuntary, you know, I never, ever set about to have this faith that I've got.
- He didn't have to set about destroying his family because he felt resentful.
- And so I set about elevating the cupcake to the sort of style and with the care that I was reserving for these special occasion cakes.
- So I set about becoming somebody who ran events up in Scotland and obviously that wasn't the most lucrative way to live.
- The Asian guys absolutely set about the my friend's friend like never batted him smashing them all up and down the street.
Examples
-
Joe Biden came into office and on his first day set about reversing the hawkish Trump immigration policies.
-
So that's why I set about doing this whole book and talk like this.
-
We set about looking for a target.
-
When she was finally alone, she considered how to set about her simple plan.
Fiction book (1997) -
But that will only happen if the United States sets about strengthening the existing order.
Academic text (2008) -
After graduation, we got married and immediately set about trying to have kids.
Fiction book (1999) -
I immediately set about cleaning up Tromaville.
-
I awoke early, clear-headed and immediately set about my daily tasks.
-
When Effie returned to the kitchen, she set about preparing the young man's breakfast.
Fiction book (1997) -
Once the meeting started, she set about organizing the agenda for the day.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To begin an action, event or process
∞
1.0
To start an activity, event, or speech
481
1.8
To begin doing something, for example a task or meeting
422
2.3
To start doing something or to leave
286
1.4
To begin a job, project, or career
200
3.5
To begin doing something in a certain way
179
4.4
To start doing work or a task seriously
161
4.4
To begin something
159
2.6
To begin to deal with a problem or task
150
3.2
To start doing something with a clear aim
7
3.2
To begin working right away with energy
Antonyms
How Determined
Surface Forms
Morphology
There is a clear compositional link: 'set' can mean to initiate and 'about' points toward the task or direction, so 'set about' plausibly means to begin doing something. However, the verb+particle construction has a conventionalized phrasal-verb sense that is not entirely predictable from the constituents alone, so learners may need some exposure to confirm this use.
Etymology
The phrasal verb set about may come from the picture of a worker who set tools about a task, arranging things all around so they could begin. That's why set about means 'to begin' a task in a determined or organized way.