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

The crew member eventually persuaded Saudi authorities to allow the plane to set down at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the city of Tabuk. — Sam Metz, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Chicago's Colson Montgomery set the season record for strikeouts with 224 when he was set down looking in the fifth inning by Tomoyuki Sugano. — ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026

Matsui and Adrian Morejón set down six straight batters between them. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026

In the service of national memory, this is our attempt to set down what happened on that day and in its aftermath. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 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