set in
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Definition
- Intransitive Phrasal Verb:
- To begin and seem likely to continue or worsen: Used to describe the start of something, typically something unpleasant or persistent, like bad weather, a negative condition, or a period.
- To become established: To take hold and become fixed or prevalent.
- (Of a wind or current) To blow or flow toward the shore: A nautical term.
Usage and Examples
Describing the onset of weather or seasons:
- The rain set in just as we started our picnic.
- Once winter sets in, the days become very short and cold.
Describing the start of a negative condition, feeling, or period:
- After the injury, a deep infection set in.
- Boredom had set in during the long lecture.
- Panic set in as the crowd realized the doors were locked.
Nautical usage:
- The captain warned that a strong wind was setting in from the east.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
"Set in" vs. "Begin": "Set in" implies a gradual beginning that becomes established and often has a connotation of being unwelcome or difficult to stop. "Begin" is more neutral and general.
- Compare: "The ceremony began at noon." (neutral) vs. "A period of decline set in." (negative, established state)
Common Collocations: Often used with nouns like: rot, decay, despair, routine, dusk, night, habit, pattern.
- Without proper maintenance, rust will set in.
Variants and Related Words
- Set (verb): To put, place, or fix in a specific position. This is the base verb.
- Setting (noun): The context and environment in which something is situated; the time and place of a story.
- Onset (noun): The beginning of something, especially something unpleasant. This is a close synonym in meaning but not in grammatical structure.
Synonyms
- Take hold: To become established or fixed.
- Begin: To start. (More general, less connotative)
- Commence: To begin formally. (More formal)
- Kick in: (Informal) To begin to take effect. ()
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Set off: To start a journey or to cause something to start (like an alarm).
- We set off at dawn.
- Set up: To establish, arrange, or build.
- They set up a new business.
- Set about: To begin doing something with effort or determination.
- She set about cleaning the entire house.
Idioms and Fixed Phrases
- "Before the rot sets in": Used to suggest taking action before a situation deteriorates.
- We need to address these issues now, before the rot sets in.
- "When darkness/night sets in": A common phrase describing the arrival of night.
- We need to find shelter before darkness sets in.
Verb
- become established
- winter has set in
- blow toward the shore
- That gale could set in on us with the next high tide
- enter a particular state
- Laziness set in
- After a few moments, the effects of the drug kicked in