dead set
idiom
: firmly determined
The mayor was dead set against[=strongly opposed to] the plan.
She was dead set on[=completely certain about] going to college.
Examples of dead set in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Foster was dead set on Shiksa, but Netflix executives balked.
—
Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
The French fright fest features a very pregnant widow (Alysson Paradis) who sees her home invaded on Christmas Eve by a mysterious woman in black (Beatrice Dalle) dead set on cutting her baby out with some scissors.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
But heading into Week 6, the Cowboys are set to face off against a former player of theirs who sure seems to be dead set on getting his revenge against his old team.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Coach Joanne is dead set on turning things around this season despite having just been brutally dumped by her girlfriend and co-founder of the team.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dead set
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
The French fright fest features a very pregnant widow (Alysson Paradis) who sees her home invaded on Christmas Eve by a mysterious woman in black (Beatrice Dalle) dead set on cutting her baby out with some scissors.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
But heading into Week 6, the Cowboys are set to face off against a former player of theirs who sure seems to be dead set on getting his revenge against his old team.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Coach Joanne is dead set on turning things around this season despite having just been brutally dumped by her girlfriend and co-founder of the team.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dead set
Cite this Entry
“Dead set.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20set. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share