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Synonyms

set about

British  

verb

  1. to start or begin

  2. to attack physically or verbally

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
set about Idioms  

  1. Begin, start, as in How do we set about solving this puzzle? [c. 1600]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"He knew he shouldn't have been on the road, so he set about doing everything he could to distance himself from these facts."

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Starboard first disclosed its stake in Algonquin Power in June 2023 and swiftly set about pushing for changes.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Those experiences helped pave the way for Coinbase, which set about to solve a problem that confounded those eager to invest in cryptocurrencies: There was no place for people to store their digital assets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Because he’s always reminding us on set about that: “Big movie, big movie.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

Lyra set about searching, and with owl-eyed Pantalaimon’s help soon had a dozen or more stones to hand.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.