set on

verb

set on; setting on; sets on

transitive verb

1

: attack

2

a

obsolete : promote

b

: to urge (an animal, such as a dog) to attack or pursue

c

: to incite to action : instigate

d

: to set to work

intransitive verb

: go on, advance

Synonyms

• assail
• assault
• attack
• beset
• bushwhack
• charge
• descend (on or upon)
• go in (on)
• jump (on)
• pounce (on or upon)
• raid
• rush
• sic
• sick
• storm
• strike
• trash
• turn (on)

Examples of set on in a Sentence

without warning, bandits would set on unwary merchants as they traveled along the Silk Road

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Medical Definition

seton

noun

se·​ton ˈsēt-ᵊn 

: one or more threads or horsehairs or a strip of linen introduced beneath the skin by a knife or needle to provide drainage or formerly to produce or prolong inflammation

Biographical Definition

Seton 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Se·​ton ˈsē-tᵊn 

Saint Elizabeth Ann 1774–1821 Mother Seton née Bayley American religious leader

Seton

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Ernest Thompson 1860–1946 originally surname Thompson American (English-born) writer and illustrator