set down

verb

set down; setting down; sets down

transitive verb

1

: to cause to sit down : seat

2

: to place at rest on a surface or on the ground

3

: to suspend (a jockey) from racing

4

: to cause or allow to get off a vehicle : deliver

5

: to land (an airplane) on the ground or water

6

a

: ordain, establish

b

: to put in writing

7

a

: regard, consider

set him down as a liar

b

: attribute

Synonyms of set down

• sit
• seat
• put

Examples of set down in a Sentence

set the toddler down in her seat

set down the names of those in attendance

Recent Examples on the Web

Beauty reached for June’s hand, said, Come set down. —Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Keller set down the Padres with machine-like efficiency for four innings and held on in his final two. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026

Woo yielded one hit over seven brilliant innings, setting down his last 12 batters and recording six strikeouts while matching the longest scoreless start of his career. —CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026

Mats are ripped up, power planers are set down. —Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for set down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

set down

verb

1

: to cause to sit down : seat

2

: to place at rest on a surface or on the ground

3

: to land (an airplane) on the ground or water

4

: establish sense 2

the government set down laws

5

: to put in writing