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set up

UK/ˌsɛt ˈʌp/US/ˌsɛt ˈʌp/
phraseB12 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To set up is to build or arrange something so that it is ready to work. Assembled, plugged in, tested.

It covers equipment, businesses, meetings and charities, so setting up a company is a formal act and setting up a tent is a practical one. It splits round an object. There is a darker sense meaning to frame somebody, so being set up means the evidence was arranged. The noun setup means an arrangement or a configuration, and a set-up can also be the opening half of a joke.

Definitions of set up

  1. 1phraseset upTo assemble or arrange something ready for use.B1

    “It takes an hour to set up the sound system.”

  2. 2phraseestablishTo establish an organisation or arrangement.B1

    “They want to set up a residents' association.”

Also accepted in games: establish

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 9 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word