sets in motion

verb

present tense third-person singular of set in motion
as in whips (up)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sets in motion
  1. provokes
  2. picks
  3. incites
  4. ferments
Verb
  • The development provokes a leadership shake-up on both committees, prompting speculation on who will fill the spots when the next Congress opens in January.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The rooms were part of Kusama’s ongoing exploration of self-obliteration and her career-long ambition to create work that provokes a keen awareness of both one’s individual insignificance and place in the wider cosmic system.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of provokes
Verb
  • Rookie third-round picks Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell will open the season as Dolphins starting receivers (at least in three-receiver sets), coach Jeff Hafley said Wednesday.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The optional app usually picks appealing but innocuous images of travel scenes and animals as daily wallpapers on Windows PC desktops.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of picks
Verb
  • Every day, there’s seemingly some new report or rumor that incites the social media machine.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • The rule will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field of play in protest.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Definition of incites
Verb
  • Sourdough starter is a slow leavener that ferments the dough, which is what makes sourdough bread healthier.
    — Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 18 July 2026
  • My personal favorite is A Pizzeri, where Michele, its pizza master, slowly ferments his dough everyday and maintains a large stack of olive branches for firewood.
    — Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2026
Definition of ferments
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.

Browse Nearby Words

sets in
sets in motion
sets off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sets in motion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sets%20in%20motion. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of loath

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All