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

• 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

Then there’s Peg, who arrives in a bomb-diffusion suit and sets down a ticking bomb. —Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025

Alcaraz also won the 2025 French Open, coming back from two sets down to triumph over Sinner in what many are calling one of the greatest matches ever played. —Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025

Like many of her Nashville castmates, Lennon set down permanent roots in the music city, taking PEOPLE inside her home in 2018. —Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025

After seven years of operating City Limits as a roving food truck, Robbie Robinson set down roots in West Columbia in 2023 and created a sprawling barbecue oasis. —Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025

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