as in describing
to give a representation or account of in words
in his inaugural address, the president set out his vision for the nation over the next four years
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Recent Examples of setting out
In 1930s Scotland, a grieving teen defies his family and town by setting out to prove the existence of a mysterious creature, hoping to preserve the magic of his community and protect it from industrial ruin.
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
The actress and producer is also setting out on directing her own feature film for the first time with a new movie titled A Tree Is Blue, which will costar Jessica Alba and Charli xcx.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2025
The fastest way to a stressful hosting experience is by micro-managing and trying to do everything yourself, from setting out food and drink to cleaning up to fluttering around to ensure nothing is going wrong.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
GlaxoSmithKline chief Emma Walmsley will leave the job in December, almost a year before her notice period expires (though she’ll be paid the full period), and just weeks after setting out her strategic plan for the drugmaker in an interview with Semafor’s Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 30 Sep. 2025
What to know about hiking in extreme heat The past few months, several disappearances have occurred involving hikers setting out on multi-day excursions who are never seen again.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2025
When the pastel mini totes launched in April, Trader Joe’s stores began setting out announcement signs a few weeks beforehand, toward the end of March.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Aug. 2025
And if Super Core is any indication, that’s exactly what Kroma is setting out to do.
—Gabby Shacknai, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Adding another title to Rupert Murdoch‘s media empire, The California Post is setting out to cover politics, local news, business, entertainment and sports in the nation’s most populous state, while drawing and building on the venerable New York paper’s national coverage.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
The actress and producer is also setting out on directing her own feature film for the first time with a new movie titled A Tree Is Blue, which will costar Jessica Alba and Charli xcx.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2025
The fastest way to a stressful hosting experience is by micro-managing and trying to do everything yourself, from setting out food and drink to cleaning up to fluttering around to ensure nothing is going wrong.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
GlaxoSmithKline chief Emma Walmsley will leave the job in December, almost a year before her notice period expires (though she’ll be paid the full period), and just weeks after setting out her strategic plan for the drugmaker in an interview with Semafor’s Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 30 Sep. 2025
What to know about hiking in extreme heat The past few months, several disappearances have occurred involving hikers setting out on multi-day excursions who are never seen again.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2025
When the pastel mini totes launched in April, Trader Joe’s stores began setting out announcement signs a few weeks beforehand, toward the end of March.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Aug. 2025
And if Super Core is any indication, that’s exactly what Kroma is setting out to do.
—Gabby Shacknai, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Adding another title to Rupert Murdoch‘s media empire, The California Post is setting out to cover politics, local news, business, entertainment and sports in the nation’s most populous state, while drawing and building on the venerable New York paper’s national coverage.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting out
Verb
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Savannah Guthrie opened the family’s plea by thanking supporters for their prayers before describing her mother as the heart of their family and making a direct appeal for contact, stressing Nancy Guthrie’s fragile health and urgent need for medication.—
Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Kurkdjian translated that same idea into scent, describing the partnership as both rare and intuitive.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Carrillo also brought a baseball and a trading card depicting one of his favorite players.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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The jury, which includes both film and science professionals, presents the award to an outstanding feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme or depicting a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jacobus started his career in finance in the early 1990s, but that quickly spiraled into him falsely portraying himself as a seasoned financial advisor who managed legitimate investment portfolios, authorities said.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
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Hollywood did end up telling that story, with Ben Foster ultimately portraying the actor as a villain in the 2015 movie The Program, which Armstrong was not a part of.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Setting out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setting%20out. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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