set down

verb

set down; setting down; sets down

transitive verb

1

: to cause to sit down : seat

2

: to place at rest on a surface or on the ground

3

: to suspend (a jockey) from racing

4

: to cause or allow to get off a vehicle : deliver

5

: to land (an airplane) on the ground or water

6

a

: ordain, establish

b

: to put in writing

7

a

: regard, consider

set him down as a liar

b

: attribute

Synonyms

• seat
• sit

Examples of set down in a Sentence

set the toddler down in her seat

set down the names of those in attendance

Recent Examples on the Web

Given the on-time launch and assuming no major problems, the Athena lander is expected to descend to touchdown on a flat mesa-like structure known as Mons Mouton on March 6, setting down just 100 miles from the Moon's south pole—closer than any other spacecraft has attempted. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025

Arenado fanned again in the seventh, set down on four pitches by career minor-leaguer Brent Headrick, who has pitched in only one MLB game since 2023 and only 15 total ever. —David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025

Intuitive Machines' lander Odysseus became the first nongovernmental spacecraft to set down on the Moon in February 2024. —Ryan Deto, Axios, 5 Feb. 2025

His first three months as USC’s men’s basketball coach were a full-on sprint, with a new staff to hire, a roster to rebuild and a hoops program to reinvigorate — not to mention roots to set down in the South Bay. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for set down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

set down

verb

1

: to cause to sit down : seat

2

: to place at rest on a surface or on the ground

3

: to land (an airplane) on the ground or water

4

: establish sense 2

the government set down laws

5

: to put in writing