Link Centre Dictionary

set off

se·toff

common

verb

1.

put in motion or move to act

  • “trigger a reaction”
  • “actuate the circuits”
Synonyms
2.

leave

  • “The family took off for Florida”
Synonyms
3.

direct attention to, as if by means of contrast

  • “This dress accentuates your nice figure!”
  • “I set off these words by brackets”
Synonyms
4.

cause to explode

  • “We exploded the nuclear bomb”
Synonyms
5.

make up for

  • “His skills offset his opponent”
Synonyms
6.

set in motion or cause to begin

  • “The guide set the tour off to a good start”
Synonyms
7.

provoke or stir up

  • “incite a riot”
  • “set off great unrest among the people”
Synonyms

Origin

Deverbal from set off.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Causes

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.