set off

5 antonyms for set off — opposites grouped by meaning.

Phrasal verb — To begin a journey or start out towards somewhere.

Synonyms by Meaning

1. phrasal verb

To begin a journey or start out towards somewhere.

“We set off at dawn to beat the traffic.”

depart start out head off leave get going

Opposites

arrive stay return

2. phrasal verb

To cause something to start suddenly, especially an alarm, an explosion or a chain of events.

“The smoke from the toaster set off the fire alarm.”

trigger spark detonate touch off provoke

3. phrasal verb

To make someone suddenly angry, upset or distressed, or to trigger a strong emotional or physical reaction.

“Any mention of the divorce sets him off.”

trigger provoke upset start off

Opposites

calm soothe

4. phrasal verb

To make something look better by contrast or by providing a background for it.

“The plain frame sets off the painting perfectly.”

complement enhance show off offset

5. noun legal and accounting

An amount owed by one party that is deducted from a debt owed to it by the other, so only the balance is paid.

“The builder claimed a set-off for the unpaid final invoice.”

offset deduction counterclaim

Antonyms

arrive stay return calm soothe

How to use set off

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

set off early set off the alarm set off a chain reaction set off a bomb

Neutral and very common in everyday speech; the accounting noun is technical.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between set off and set out?

Both can mean to begin a journey, and there they are interchangeable, though set off suggests the moment of departure and set out the undertaking as a whole. Set out has extra meanings set off does not: to arrange things, and to state something clearly, as in the contract sets out the terms.

Is it set off or setoff?

The verb is always two words: they set off early. The noun is hyphenated in British usage as set-off and often closed up in American accounting as setoff.

What is the past tense of set off?

Set off. Set does not change form, so we set off yesterday and we have set off already are both correct.

People also searched

leave stay return calm upset arrive trigger enhance offset spark complement depart

Nearby words

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