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set off

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To set off is to begin a journey. Bags in the car, and away.

It is the standard British phrase for departing, and setting off early is what everybody promises and nobody does. There is a quite separate sense meaning to trigger, since setting off an alarm, a firework or a chain of events all mean starting something suddenly. A third sense is about contrast, and a colour that sets off another displays it well. Set out means much the same as the first sense.

Definitions of set off

  1. 1phraseset offTo begin a journey.B2

    “We should set off before the traffic builds.”

  2. 2phrasecauseTo cause something to start suddenly.B2

    “The smoke will set off the alarm.”

Also accepted in games: set out

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 4 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word