set off

¹

verb

1. intr to embark on a journey
2. tr to cause (a person) to act or do something, such as laugh or tell stories
3. tr to cause to explode
4. tr to act as a foil or contrast to, esp so as to improve

   that brooch sets your dress off well

5. tr accounting to cancel a credit on (one account) against a debit on another, both of which are in the name of the same person, enterprise, etc
6. intr to bring a claim by way of setoff

noun

1. anything that serves as a counterbalance
2. anything that serves to contrast with or enhance something else; foil
3. another name for setback See set back
4. a counterbalancing debt or claim offered by a debtor against a creditor
5. a cross claim brought by a debtor that partly offsets the creditor's claim See also counterclaim

set-off

²

noun

1. printing a fault in which ink is transferred from a heavily inked or undried printed sheet to the sheet next to it in a pile Also called (esp Brit)offset

Example Sentences

This sets off a chain reaction of events culminating in the creation of a “polar vortex” with more extreme cold, storminess and snow.

From Salon

It set off at full speed and reached the Titanic two hours after it had sank in the North Atlantic on 15 April 1912.

From BBC

The former Top Gear and Question of Sport host, 51, had set off from Wrexham, almost 300 miles away, on Monday.

From BBC

Volcanoes set off a cascade of chemical changes in the environment that make their way to the subterranean rock.

From Los Angeles Times

He added that once it had been announced it had "set off warning lights for business".

From BBC