set (oneself) up as (something)
phrasal verb
set (oneself) up as (something); setting (oneself) up as (something); sets (oneself) up as (something)
1
: to try to make people believe that one is (something)
He sets himself up as a defender of the people, but he's really only interested in getting more power.
2
: to start one's own business
She set herself up as a wedding planner.
Examples of set (oneself) up as (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The speed with one SSD installed is 20Gbps, but with two SSDs set up as a RAID, the speed climbs to a theoretical maximum of 40Gbps.
—
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Based on the current composition of the Heat roster, Highsmith does not necessarily set up as a rotation component, figuring to be slotted in behind teammates such as Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
Both teams are in the NL playoff shuffle, and each side has big names set up as probable starters.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 July 2025
The election will be a mail-in-ballot election with one or more polling locations set up as a ballot drop-off location, but there will be no in-person voting at such locations, according to the resolution approved by the council.
—Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for set (oneself) up as (something)
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.
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Based on the current composition of the Heat roster, Highsmith does not necessarily set up as a rotation component, figuring to be slotted in behind teammates such as Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
Both teams are in the NL playoff shuffle, and each side has big names set up as probable starters.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 July 2025
The election will be a mail-in-ballot election with one or more polling locations set up as a ballot drop-off location, but there will be no in-person voting at such locations, according to the resolution approved by the council.
—Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for set (oneself) up as (something)
Cite this Entry
“Set (oneself) up as (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/set%20%28oneself%29%20up%20as%20%28something%29. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share