Word.ws English Dictionary

set the table

set the table verb: to arrange plates, etc. for a meal.

set the table: to arrange plates, etc. for a meal
Image: Joseph Bail, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Verb

set the table (third-person singular simple present sets the table, present participle setting the table, simple past and past participle set the table)

  1. (literally) To arrange plates, etc. for a meal.
    Synonyms:
    lay the table
    Antonyms:
    clear the table
  2. (figuratively) To make a future outcome possible.
    • The next step is to 'Set the Table' for the sale by stating your agenda. This is both a method of directing the course of the meeting, as well as a trial close2009, Thomas G. Segrich, The $32M Sales System for Design & Build Home Remodelers and Kitchen & Bath Professionals
    • In a very real sense, PC technology set the table for the prosperity of the nineties.2008, B. A. Marbue Brown, The Clinton Economic Boom, page 107

Synonyms of set the table

Antonyms

Forms of set the table

third-person singular presentsets the table
present participlesetting the table
past participleset the table
pastset the table

Questions about set the table

What does set the table mean?
Set the table means to arrange plates, etc. for a meal.
What part of speech is set the table?
Set the table is a verb.
What is the past tense of set the table?
The past tense of set the table is set the table.

Words near set the table in the dictionary

  1. set the land
  2. set the pace
  3. set the record straight
  4. set the scene
  5. set the stage
  6. set the table
  7. set the Thames on fire
  8. set the tone
  9. set the wheels in motion
  10. set the world ablaze
  11. set the world afire

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: set the table (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-set the table.ogg.

Cite this entry: “set the table.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/set_the_table. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.