sets up

present tense third-person singular of set up
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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sets up The episode sets up Hal and John’s budding mentor-mentee dynamic in a 2016 timeline, with Hal being a reluctant teacher. — Matt Minton, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026 Much of the first episode sets up the mystery that the Green Lantern and his protege are aiming to solve before ending with a twist. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026 The proposal also sets up ministerial and parliamentary committees to monitor the disarmament process. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026 All of this sets up a likely $4 billion summer and $10 billion year, Dergarabedian said, which could make 2026 the highest-grossing summer and the highest-grossing year since 2019. — Angela Yang, NBC news, 2 Aug. 2026 The win for Bailey sets up what should be an entertaining wrestling match against either Bandito or Fletcher. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 Whoever wins the Republican runoff sets up a high-profile, big-money matchup. — Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 16 June 2026 But the decision sets up a circuit court split with rulings from the fifth and eighth circuits. — Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026 Wentz re-signed in March for a second season with the Vikings, which sets up a completely opposite scenario for McCarthy from 2025. — Matthew Davis, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sets up
Verb
  • The exit poll from Germany’s public broadcaster puts the AfD on 38%, just two weeks after the party had its best result yet in Saxony-Anhalt.
    — Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • However, going down to 0-2 puts a team at a really big hole to start the year and make the playoffs.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Jean-Marie Le Pen founds the far-right National Front, building it around anti-immigration and nationalist policies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 July 2026
  • Goldschmied enters a partnership with Renzo Rosso and co-founds Diesel.
    — Maria Cristina Pavarini, Footwear News, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • King drops elephants through the air, erects wobbly Towers of Babel, lets characters run amok with depictions of her own pencils, and then summons a hand with a knife to clear a clean space on the page.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Cody erects impenetrable emotional walls around him that deny him from asking for help and creating community.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • While Calvinism, weaving, deeply repressed sexuality, and passages in Scottish Gaelic don’t exactly sound like the ingredient list for a riot, Stuart builds a rich universe from these seemingly spartan forms.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The brand builds from what the customer has already chosen to share.
    — Stephanie Copeland Weber, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Shaheed is the third (at best) option in the passing game of a run-first team that will be rolling out a backup under center until Sam Darnold’s butt heals (true story).
    — Gary Davenport, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The Followers of Christ sect believes that God heals the faithful and that life and death must be left to God’s divine will.
    — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The murkiness of it all clarifies by the end of the film, not just in terms of its heroes, villains and message, but Greengrass also situates this story within a recognizable cinematic and storytelling history.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This situates it alongside the North Atlantic ocean that's populated with a variety of different kinds of whales.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • But with the king issuing guidance that establishes the Sussexes firmly as private citizens, has the relationship been impacted for the worse?
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The partnership establishes Allegro as Oceanfront’s preferred senior secured production financing partner.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Still, rising tensions over the self-governing island loom in the background, as the Iran war depletes the US’ weapons stockpile and Taiwan’s AI chip production raises the stakes for any potential conflict.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The idea that this could be a school-by-school system raises some red flags; for all its flaws, at least the exam was an across-the-board measure for all students.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sets up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sets%20up. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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