From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishset out phrasal verb1 START DOING somethingto start a journey, especially a long journey for Kate set out for the house on the other side of the bay.set out on a journey/drive/voyage etc The band are setting out on a European tour in March.2 PLANSTART DOING somethingto start doing something or making plans to do something in order to achieve a particular resultset out to do something salesmen who deliberately set out to defraud customersset out with the idea/purpose/intention etc of doing something They set out with the aim of becoming the number one team in the league.3 set something ↔ outWRITESAY/STATE to explain ideas, facts, or opinions in a clearly organized way, in writing or in a speech He set out the reasons for his decision in his report.4 PUT set something ↔ out to put a group of things down and arrange them The market traders began setting out their displays.5 set out on somethingSTART DOING something to start doing something, especially something new, difficult, or important My nephew is just setting out on a career in journalism. → set→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
set out• The Republicans' goals for the year are clearly set out in the party platform.• A waiter brought drinks and sandwiches, and set them out on a low table beside the pool.• The facts, as you have set them out, seem convincing enough.• If we set out the chairs now, they'll be ready for tonight's meeting.• She set out the reasons for her resignation in a confidential letter to her boss.set for• We've got what we set out for.• They set out for a pilgrimage to Rome.• She arranged them on the big table on the terrace where they looked impeccable, like clothes set out for a wedding.• She took off her apron and set out for her evening walk.• Once more Joseph is obedient and sets out for his own country.• At the beginning of November, in search of a political writer, he set out for Oxford, persuasion on his mind.• Opposite him on one of the three tables set out for the lavish dinner was Prime Minister John Major.• With reluctance she pulled on a jacket and set out for the Rectory.set out to do something• No leader sets out to be a leader.• Daley set out to break him.• The new administration set out to develop a better immigration policy.• The three new studies set out to examine the problem in more detail.• When she was 18, Amy set out to find her biological parents.• After proper consultation and correction of the error, Raistrick set out to isolate active substances from Fleming's mould.• But it was the knowledge that he'd deliberately set out to make a fool of her that wounded her the most.• He set out to make Newcastle the best football team in the country.• Forsyth set out to monopolize the best view of the Falls for his personal gain.• Fund-raisers set out to raise $ 1 million for capital costs plus $ 600,000 for a collection endowment.• Haavio-Mannila set out to test the assumption that wives share the same status ranking as their husbands.set out on something• Its founders were clinging to the wreckage, not setting out on a brave new voyage.• But Charlie also sets out on a series of scandalous liaisons and unfortunate marriages with very young girls.• In the end the woman chooses to renounce both men and sets out on her own path.• Details of the Company's principal subsidiary and associated undertakings are set out on page 47.• But long before that jalopy set out on Route 66, the wild oat had done its landscape-altering work.• Details of the amounts due to be billed and the properties concerned are set out on the attached sheet for your information.• The most obvious source of the necessary electrical energy would be solar panels set out on the lunar surface.• After organising a group of locals and a dugout canoe, we set out on the week-long journey to Iau.From Longman Business Dictionaryset out phrasal verb1[transitive] set something → out to write or talk about something, such as a group of facts, ideas, or reasons in an organized wayDetails of the case are set out in a briefing paper.The performance measurement system sets out what tasks each person is responsible for.2[intransitive] to start a particular kind of job or start doing something in a particular wayset out to do somethingThe new government set out to manage inflation by using interest rates to control the money supply. → set→ See Verb table 