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
b
: to put in writing
7
a
: regard, consider
set him down as a liar
b

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
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.
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 See All Example Sentences for set down

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of set down was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Set down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/set%20down. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on set down

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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