setup

[ set-uhp ]

noun

1. organization; arrangement.
2. an act or instance of setting up or getting ready:

   The setup of the lights and camera took most of the morning.

3. the carriage of the body; bearing.
4. a camera position, as for a particular shot.
5. everything required for an alcoholic drink except the liquor, as a glass, ice, and soda water, as served to patrons who provide their own liquor.
6. Informal.
   1. an undertaking or contest deliberately made easy.
   2. a match or game arranged with an opponent who can be defeated without risk or effort.
   3. an opponent easy to defeat.
7. Sports.
   1. a shot or play that results in a puck, shuttlecock, ball, or balls being so positioned as to provide a player with an easy opportunity for a winning shot:

      a playmaker who excels in setups.

   2. the position of such a puck, ball, etc.:

      a setup close to and to the left of the goalkeeper.

   3. the puck, ball, etc., itself:

      The wing banged the setup into the goal.

8. an arrangement of all the tools, parts, apparatus, etc., necessary for any of various specific jobs or purposes.
9. the equipment or items necessary for a particular activity or period; kit:

   Each student gets a weekly setup of clean blankets, sheets, and towels.

10. a plan or projected course of action.
11. a prearranged situation or circumstance, usually created to fool or trap someone; trick; scheme.

Usage Note

See login.

Word History and Origins

Origin of setup¹

First recorded in 1600–10; noun use of verb phrase set up

Example Sentences

DeChambeau beat McIlroy at Pinehurst last June to claim the US Open and is the second LIV golfer after Brooks Koepka to land a major following a move to the breakaway setup.

From BBC

The setup: former senior Democratic National Committee adviser Zac Petkanas was recalling a story about a 10-year-old girl with Down Syndrome who was taken from her mother at the southern border and put in a cage.

From Salon

The setup was clear from the opening reliance on overwrought generality: There is greater distrust today of the media than ever before, and, Bezos implores,a respected newspaper’s endorsements are part of the problem.

From Salon

After Game 1, the Horns will watch the series at home, where they have a setup designed to preserve domestic tranquility.

From Los Angeles Times

Whenever Harris began to say something other than exactly what Baier had clearly hoped his setup would deliver, he interjected to put her back on the back foot.

From Slate

Related Words

• composition
• foundation
• set-up
• structure
• system