Word.ws English Dictionary

sets in motion

sets in motion is the third-person singular simple present indicative of set in motion.

Meaning of set in motion

Verb

set in motion (third-person singular simple present sets in motion, present participle setting in motion, simple past and past participle set in motion)

  1. (idiomatic) To trigger movement or progress; to get going.
    • Considerable excitement was caused on the L.M.S.R. Aberdeen line out of Perth recently when a shunting engine in Perth North goods yard, whose driver and fireman were absent, was accidentally set in motion by a shunter and set off unattended on to the main line.1941 October, “Notes and News: A Highland Runaway”, in Railway Magazine, page 469

Questions about sets in motion

What is sets in motion the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Sets in motion is the third-person singular simple present indicative of set in motion.

Words near sets in motion in the dictionary

  1. sets forth
  2. sets forward
  3. sets forwards
  4. sets free
  5. sets in
  6. sets in motion
  7. sets in stone
  8. sets in train
  9. sets light
  10. sets loose
  11. sets of pipes

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: sets in motion (page history and authors); set in motion (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.

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