AAAmerican Accent US

set out

Both

Sense-dependent: some meanings take an object and split, others take none. Check the sense you mean.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: set OUT. Saying “SET out” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

The /t/ flaps. Between vowels, American /t/ and /d/ both become a quick tap, so “set out” comes out as “se-dout” — closer to a fast D than a T. Drop a pronoun in the middle and it flaps twice: “set it out” → “se-di-dout”.

2 meanings

  1. 1

    To begin something with a clear intention.

    • “She set out to prove them all wrong.”
    • “We set out at six and arrived by noon.”

    Similar: embark, start

  2. 2

    To state or arrange something formally.

    formal
    • “The contract sets out each party's obligations.”

    Similar: specify, lay out

The particle logic

out

Something exits a container, becomes visible, or is exhausted.

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More SET phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

set up

To assemble or install something so it is ready to use.

set off

To begin a journey.

set back

To delay progress.

set aside

To reserve something for a particular purpose.

set down

To place something on a surface, or to record it in writing.

set out — meaning, examples & how to say it