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[ verb ] put in motion or move to act
Examples "trigger a reaction" "actuate the circuits" Used in print (L. Don Leet and Florence J. Leet, editors, The World of...)This in_turn sets_off an alarm , notifying the observers at the station that a tsunami is in progress . |
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[ verb ] leave
Examples "The family took off for Florida" Used in print (Peter Field, Rattlesnake Ridge....)Clapping spurs to the bronc he set_off at a sharp canter , with growing alarm . |
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[ verb ] cause to explode
Examples "We exploded the nuclear bomb" Used in print (Clayton C. Barbeau, The Ikon....)All sizes : big ones , some wired to set_off a whole field , little ones , hand_grenade size . |
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[ verb ] direct attention to, as if by means of contrast
Synonyms Examples "This dress accentuates your nice figure!" "I set off these words by brackets" Used in print (A.L. Kroeber, "Semantic Contribution of Lexicostatistic...)I was at_least conscious of the distinction in my full Yokuts presentation that awaits publication , in which , in listing ' Two_Stem_Meanings ' , I set_off by asterisks those forms in which n of stem B was * * f of stem A_3 , the unasterisked ones standing_for * * f ; or under ' Four_Stems ' , I set_off by asterisks cases where the combined n of stems * * f was * * f . I was at_least conscious of the distinction in my full Yokuts presentation that awaits publication , in which , in listing ' Two_Stem_Meanings ' , I set_off by asterisks those forms in which n of stem B was * * f of stem A_3 , the unasterisked ones standing_for * * f ; or under ' Four_Stems ' , I set_off by asterisks cases where the combined n of stems * * f was * * f . Related terms deemphasize change stress foreground pick_up raise background |
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[ verb ] set in motion or cause to begin
Examples "The guide set the tour off to a good start" Used in print (Anne McCaffrey, "The Ship Who Sang," 7th...)When they were forced to , Central Worlds shrugged its shoulders , arranged a tour of the Laboratory_Schools and set the tour off to a big start by showing the members case_histories , complete with photographs . Related terms |
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[ verb ] make up for
Examples "His skills offset his opponent's superior strength" Used in print (The Dallas Morning News,...)The spider-leg pedestal table has a base finished in an ebony , to set_off the lustrous brown of the walnut top . Related terms |
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[ verb ] provoke or stir up
Examples "incite a riot" "set off great unrest among the people" Related terms |
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