dead set

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

dead set

noun dead sets · dead-set

The rigid pose a hunting dog assumes when pointing out game to a hunter. The judge at the dog show took points off the Irish setter's dead set because its right ear twitched a few times.
A fixed or stationary condition arising from obstacle or hindrance; a deadlock. to be at a dead set
broadly, figuratively A determined effort. I might not graduate first in my class, but I'll make a dead set at it.
A pointed and persistent attack on a person. The result was that everyone made a dead set on Collins. It was the same in conversation. When he put his head in everyone turned on him. He was roared down unmercifully, with the inevitable result that he lost his temper.

adjective more dead set · most dead set · dead-set

Unswervingly dedicated; resolutely determined. If John is dead set on marrying Catherine, his parents' objection will only provoke a falling out.
Similar: hell-bent
Australia, colloquial Complete and utter; total. He is a dead set fool.

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"dead set." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dead%20set. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

dead set. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dead%20set

Chicago

"dead set." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dead%20set.

BibTeX

@misc{dead_set_2026,
  title = {dead set},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dead%20set},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}