set someone up
set (someone or something) up
1. To deceive someone so that they do or fall victim to something. A: "The doors are all locked and the police are outside!" B: "That no-good liar set us up!" There have been reports recently of scam artists trying to set customers up so that they divulge their bank account details over the phone.
2. To make it look like someone is guilty of some crime or wrongdoing; to frame someone. Those drugs aren't mine—someone is setting me up!
3. To give someone the financial capital needed to start or maintain a business. If my father-in-law hadn't set me up, I never would have been able to own my own store.
4. To elect someone to or establish someone in a position of power, authority, or influence. They set him up as their party's presidential candidate. I think my bosses want to set me up as the new general manager.
5. To provide someone with adequate nourishment. The B&B provides a generous breakfast that will set you up for the rest of the day.
6. To build or assemble something. I bought everything I need for the doghouse, I just need to find the time to set it up. I bought a slide for my son's birthday, not realizing it would take me two hours to set the darn thing up.
7. To make something ready to use. We bought a new TV. John's just setting it up now. My daughter's coming over to set up the new computer for me.
8. To create, establish, or found something. The president is setting up a task force to look into ways of reducing the national debt. Can you believe he set the charity up when he was just 15?
See also: set, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
set someone up
verbSee set someone up for something
See also: set, someone, up
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
- set (someone or something) up
- skip out on
- skip out on (someone or something)
- do (someone) out of (something)
- do out of
- rue the day (that) (something) happened
- deceive (someone) into (something)
- deceive into
- diddle out of
- diddle something out of someone