An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'set up', with lots of examples in context
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Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs!
This post is about the phrasal verb 'set up', which is a great phrasal verb to know as it is all about starts and beginnings and can be used in many different ways. In this post, I examine 8 different meanings and applications that it has, from organising a meeting to helping people fall in love. Furthermore, I have included lots of examples of usage in context to help you learn and use each one. So, without any further ado, let's get started. Don't forget to leave a comment with your own sentences using 'set up' at the end 😊
SET UP: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number or meanings | 8 |
Past tense forms | Set up / Set up |
Separable? | Yes |
THE BASICS
The phrasal verb 'set up' is composed of the verb 'to set' in combination with the prepositional particle 'up' and before we take a look at the meanings of the phrasal verb, let's first quickly look at the individual words themselves.
Firstly, we have the verb 'to set', which is notable in English as being the word with the most meanings in the entire language. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, there are 430 different meanings and uses of 'set' in English but don't worry as I doubt that many native speakers use even half of these! For the purposes of the phrasal verb 'set up', two of the most relevant meanings of the verb 'to set' are 'to put or place something into a position' and 'to adjust something'.
I set my car keys somewhere last night when I got home and now I can't find them anywhere!
Joanne set her alarm for 5.30am.
My washing machine is set to come on overnight whilst I am in bed.
Next, we have the prepositional particle 'up', which is a very common feature in phrasal verbs and can often be found in some of the most widely used ones. The word 'up' itself generally refers to a direction away from the ground or, alternatively, to being in a higher position relative to something else and this idea is often carried across into phrasal verbs containing 'up'. Aside from this, it serves several other functions in phrasal verbs, which include adding the ideas of completion, improvement, increase, preparation and arrival.
Now that we have covered the basics, let's discover the meanings that we get when we combine these two words to form the lovely phrasal verb 'set up'....
MEANING 1: To establish or arrange something
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CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To establish, to arrange, to form, to organise |
Separable? | Yes |
As I mentioned in the introduction, the central idea behind many of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'set up' is the idea of 'beginning' and this first meaning is a prime example of this as it is 'to establish or arrange something'. For this usage, I have divided it into two separate sub-sections to make it easier.
Use this first application with abstract nouns i.e. nouns that refer to non-physical things. |
Let's first take the idea of 'establishing something', as 'set up' is used here to talk about starting or creating a new business, company, committee or other type of organisation. In addition to this, it can be used when we establish rules or guidelines that people within an organisation should follow. When we use 'set up' in this way, the idea is that we form, create or begin something and bring it into existence.
We are going to set up a new company offering AI solutions to marketing firms.
If you need help setting your business up, we would be happy to assist you.
It was agreed during the meeting that a committee would be set up to oversee the merger.
For those of you who follow politics, you can also talk about setting up a government or administration after an election where a new political party and head of state has been elected. Interestingly, though, we do not tend to use 'set up' to talk about a government introducing new laws or legislation.
Following the election, the King asked the new prime minister to set up a government.
Now, on a slightly smaller scale, let's move on to the second sub-section, which is the idea of 'organising something'. If you ever have to work with English in your job or have ever had any experience of English in the business world, you may have heard 'set up' in connection with things like meetings and conference calls. This is because it can also be used to mean 'to arrange something' and these are typically two of the nouns that you hear it with the most. Once again, we have the same idea of creating something and bringing it into existence.
On a grammatical level, with both of these sub-sections, 'set up' is separable, with the possibility of placing the direct object between 'set' and 'up' or after them.
I've spoken to HR and asked for them to set up a meeting so that we can discuss this.
Jane, please could you set a conference call up with David for 2pm this afternoon.
IDIOM ALERT There is also a nice idiomatic expression that has come from this particular application of 'set up', which is 'to set up home'. There is actually nothing too cryptic or difficult to understand about this one as it simply means 'to become settled in a new house, apartment or home'. As you would expect, it is usually used for people, but it can also be used to describe when an animal or insect begins living somewhere e.g. your garden or your attic.
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MEANING 2: To establish oneself as something
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To establish, to claim |
Separable? | Yes - always |
For the next meaning of 'set up', we are not changing the theme too much as we are staying with the idea of creation as this meaning is 'to establish oneself as something'.
Some words commonly used with this application....
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Although I have separated this into a separate category, this second meaning really could have been included in the previous section as it is almost the same as the first one but with just one clear difference. Instead of bringing something new into existence, such as a company or a meeting, this time we are focussing on living people (who already exist) and who establish themselves as something new, typically by starting a new career.
For this application, we have the following set structure....
to set + reflexive pronoun + up + as + career
To clarify this, if somebody wants to change their job and become a hairdresser, you can say that they set themselves up as a hairdresser, which means that they do the necessary work to start a hairdressing business and then begin to earn money from it. We can use this application of 'set up' to describe any time someone establishes themselves in a new career or role, with the idea that the person has done done the necessary work themselves rather than having been given the job by a company etc.
My ultimate aim, once I have my qualifications, is to set myself up as an accountant.
Lucy has set herself up as an online psychic and is giving free readings to people today
My great grandfather moved here in the late 19th century and set himself up as the first doctor in the town.
There is also a second, rarer, variation of this application, when we use the same structure to describe when a person claims to be something, especially if there is an element of doubt to the person's claim.
Luke set himself up as a financial advisor but I don't think he knows the first thing about finance.
MEANING 3: To make something ready for use
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To prepare, to build, to construct, to put together, to adjust |
Separable? | Yes |
The third meaning of 'set up' is 'to prepare something and make it ready for use' and I think that this one will be one that many of you will be familiar with as it is probably its most common application and is used in many different areas of life.
Typical nouns that this application of 'set up' is used with....
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This particular usage is perhaps used the most in relation to equipment and devices. If you ever buy a new piece of electrical or mechanical equipment, the chances are that it will not function immediately and you will need to prepare it and adjust the settings in some way, so that it is ready to be used. This process is known as 'setting up', or also by the noun 'setup'. Generally, once the item has been 'set up', it will work as you wish and you will not need to do it again, unless you want to adjust it in some way.
It took us a while to work out how to set up our new air fryer.
Before you start setting up your new camera, you should ensure that the batteries are fully charged.
Aside from usage with physical equipment, you are also very likely to come across this application of 'set up' in the world of IT, computing and mobile telecommunications. The reason for this is not only do you need to set up computer hardware such as monitors and printers but also software and apps also need to be set up after they have been downloaded to make them ready for use.
Setting up a new smartphone is a lot easier these days than it used to be.
Once you have downloaded the app, you will need to set it up before you can use it.
John was struggling to set up his new printer and couldn't work out what he was doing wrong.
MEANING 4: To erect something temporarily
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To put up, to build, to construct, to put together, to place, to put, to set |
Separable? | Yes |
Our fourth meaning of 'set up' is very similar to the previous meaning that we have just covered and means 'to erect something temporarily'.
Whereas in the previous section, we were focusing on preparing something new for permanent use, this time we are thinking more about when we prepare something for temporary use. Alternatively, in certain contexts, it could also be used to mean 'to put, place or create something somewhere for a period of time'.
For this application, there are two broad categories of things that can be set up: those that are built or constructed somewhere and those that are placed somewhere.
The first category is very much a continuation of the previous section as it means to prepare something for use, usually by building it or putting it's constituent parts together, for a temporary period of time. This includes stages for music festivals, concerts, cranes and tents. As you can probably work out, all of these items are for equipment or structures that need to be installed or erected to enable people to carry out a specific task or to fulfil a specific function and will later be taken down again when they are no longer required.
We are going to need some help setting up the stage for the concert.
Roger and Lisa set up their tent on the edge of the field, next to a forest.
The construction company will set scaffolding up around the building to enable them to carry out the renovation work.
The second category here is for nouns for things that can be placed somewhere for a period of time, again to fulfil some kind of temporary function such as a roadblock, seats, or traffic lights. Unlike the first category, these items do not need constructing and can simply be placed in position to fulfil their transitory purpose.
The police have set up roadblocks all across the city in an attempt to catch the criminals.
Water stations have been set up all along the marathon route for the runners.
A series of traffic cones have been set up in the street to divert cars around the hole.
MEANING 5: To cause something to begin
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To set off, to trigger, to cause |
Separable? | No |
The next meaning of 'set up' is all about cause and effect and is 'to cause something to begin or to happen'.
This usage is very close in meaning to the similar phrasal verb 'set off' (link here) and its focus is very much on creating the right environment or situation for something, such as a process, reaction or problem to happen. Normally, this is used when this triggering action is unintentional or accidental and often it can be something problematic or undesired. Furthermore, it may be just one thing that sets the event off or it may also be a series of events which do it.
The stock market crash in Asia set up a series of other crashes around the world throughout the day.
Make sure you prepare the experiment thoroughly as you do not want to set any potential problems up once it has started.
MEANING 6: To prepare someone for something
Photo: Pexels
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To prepare |
Separable? | Yes |
The sixth meaning of 'set up' is 'to prepare someone for something' and for this one we require the additional preposition 'for', giving us the construction 'to set someone up for something'.
Perhaps the most common subject that this particular application of 'set up' is used with is food, in particular breakfast. The idea here is that if you have a good, healthy or nutritious breakfast, it sets you up for the day, meaning that it prepares you for the day ahead and gives you enough energy and sustenance to tackle the problems and issues that will arise.
I'll make you a big breakfast tomorrow morning and that will set you up for your busy day of travelling.
Simon had a hearty lunch, which set him up nicely for his 10km walk in the afternoon.
In addition to food, another thing that people need to survive is money and this is also something that we can use with this application of 'set up', namely when we want to say that we have enough money to last us for a long period of time, or more commonly, life.
Winning the jackpot on the lottery has set me up for life. I am never going to have to work again!
The money Jack received from his deceased grandmother set him up for a few months rent.
Lastly, one other thing that provides us with good preparation for the future is life experience and 'set up' can be used here too for expressing how experiences in our past have prepared us to be able to do things or cope with situations later in our lives.
My parents always pushed me to do athletics when I was a child and this set me up for success as an athletics coach as an adult.
Nothing that Helen did in her youth could have set her up for what she experienced this week.
IDIOM ALERT This is a good point to tell you about another idiom featuring 'set up' that is fairly common in English: to set oneself up for a fall. This expression is used to describe when somebody does something that is guaranteed to fail or to not succeed. It is normally used by someone talking person rather than themselves.
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MEANING 7: To frame someone
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CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To frame, to trick, to deceive |
Separable? | Yes |
As with many phrasal verbs with multiple meanings, there is usually one meaning amongst them all that is a bit negative and this seventh meaning of 'set up' is the negative one as it means 'to frame someone' and is usually used when referring to a crime or a wrongdoing of some sort.
If you set someone up, you purposely make it appear that they have committed a crime or done something wrong when in reality they have not and they are innocent. In other words, you frame them for something.
From a grammatical perspective, this application of 'set up' is often used in the passive form, as the focus tends to be on the victims of the action. It can also be used in an active way to talk about the perpetrators of course, however I would say that you hear it less in this way.
I didn't do it. I've been set up!
When the customs officers opened up Helen's suitcase and found the drugs inside, she realised that she had been set up by the nice man she had been talking to in the bar.
The company directors tried to set the CEO up but he realised and their plan backfired.
MEANING 8: To arrange a romantic date for someone
Photo: Pexels
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To matchmake |
Separable? | No |
The eighth and final meaning of 'set up' is one for all of the single people out there who are looking for love and romance as it means 'to arrange a romantic date for someone'. This practice of 'setting up' is also known in English as 'matchmaking'.
This action of 'setting people up' is for situations when you know two people who are both single and who you think would make a good couple. You then decide to "play Cupid" to intervene in some way to bring the two people together in the hope that a romance will start between them e.g. inviting them both to a party or social event. This can be done both explicitly, where you tell the people openly that you are setting them up or implicitly when you organise a social event and invite both of the single people to come but do not tell them of your sneaky but well-meaning intentions.
My husband and I were set up many years ago by mutual friends.
I really want to set up my best friend with a guy from work. They would get on so well!
Please do not try to set me up with anyone tonight at your party. I am perfectly happy being single!
Have you ever been set up by someone and if so, was it a success? Or, have you ever set up a friend or colleague with another person? Let me know in the comments section!
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