Setting example sentences

"Setting" Example Sentences

I'm setting the table for dinner — we have guests coming at seven.
The novel's setting was a small coastal town in Maine during the 1950s.
She kept setting her alarm for 5 AM but never actually woke up that early.
The sun was setting behind the mountains when we finally arrived at the cabin.
He's been setting aside money for a house down payment for three years now.
Setting boundaries with my family has been one of the hardest things I've done.
The movie's setting felt so real that I forgot I was watching actors on a screen.
Why are you setting yourself up for disappointment by expecting too much?
I hate setting up new furniture — it always takes twice as long as the instructions say.
The therapist suggested setting realistic goals instead of aiming for perfection.
Setting foot in that house again after all these years was overwhelming.
They're setting the wedding date for next June, assuming the venue is available.
The setting sun painted the sky in shades of orange and pink.
She's been setting traps for the mice in the basement all week.
Setting your phone to silent during meetings is just basic respect.
The historical setting of the play made it feel both distant and strangely relevant.
He kept setting the bar higher and higher until nobody could reach it.
I'm setting up a new system to organize my work files — hopefully it actually sticks.
The setting of the crime scene told the detective everything she needed to know.
Setting priorities is harder than it sounds when everything feels urgent.
The author's choice of setting shaped every decision the characters made.
We're setting out early tomorrow to beat the traffic.
Setting a good example for the kids means doing what you say you'll do.
The intimate setting of the restaurant made it perfect for a first date.
She found herself setting aside her own dreams to support his career.
Setting the record straight took longer than the original misunderstanding.
The urban setting contrasted sharply with the rural setting of the previous chapter.
I keep setting reminders on my phone and then ignoring them anyway.
Setting expectations too low is just another way of giving up.
The setting was so beautifully described that I could almost smell the ocean air.

Common Phrases

setting the table
setting boundaries
setting the record straight
setting foot in
setting aside
setting out
setting the stage
setting up
setting a precedent
setting the tone
setting your sights on
setting fire to

Examples by Level

I am setting the table for dinner.
The sun is setting now.

She's setting up her new apartment with help from friends.
The movie's setting is in a small village in the mountains.

Setting boundaries with people who drain your energy is actually an act of self-care.
The author chose a setting that reflected the character's inner turmoil perfectly.

By constantly setting the bar higher, he'd created an impossible standard that nobody could meet.
The film's setting in post-war Berlin gave the story a weight that dialogue alone couldn't achieve.

The novelist's meticulous attention to setting transformed what could have been a generic thriller into something genuinely atmospheric and unsettling.
Setting aside her own ambitions to care for her aging mother had left her with a quiet resentment she couldn't quite name.

There's something about setting foot in a place you've only read about — the reality is always both more mundane and more vivid than imagination allows.
The tension between the characters' aspirations and the setting's constraints became the true subject of the novel, more compelling than any plot twist.

Examples by Scenario

🏠 Everyday Life

I'm setting my alarm for six but I know I'll hit snooze at least twice.
The dog keeps setting off the motion sensor light whenever it walks past the window.

💼 Workplace

Our manager is setting unrealistic deadlines again — nobody's happy about it.
Setting up the conference room took longer than the actual meeting.

📊 Business

The company is setting a new standard for customer service in the industry.
Setting competitive pricing while maintaining profit margins is always the challenge.

🛒 Buying / Shopping

I'm setting a budget of two hundred dollars for the kitchen renovation — wish me luck.
The store is setting everything on sale this weekend, so I'm going to stock up.

✈️ Travel

We're setting out at dawn to catch the sunrise from the summit.
The hotel's setting overlooking the bay made the expensive room feel worth it.

📚 Education

The teacher is setting a reading assignment that's way too long for the week.
Setting clear expectations on the first day of class actually makes the semester easier.

❤️ Relationships

Setting boundaries with him felt cruel at first, but it was necessary for my own sanity.
We're setting a date to finally have that conversation we've been avoiding for months.

📰 News / Politics

The government is setting new environmental regulations that will affect manufacturing nationwide.
Setting a precedent with this decision could have consequences for years to come.

💻 Technology

I spent an hour setting up my new laptop and it's still not quite right.
The app keeps setting notifications even though I've turned them off multiple times.

📝 Formal Writing

The historical setting of the document provides crucial context for understanding its significance.
Setting clear parameters for the study ensured that the results were both reliable and reproducible.