This verb means to put somebody or something on a surface or in a place. It is often interchangeable with lay or put except in certain idiomatic expressions like set the table.
The little girl helps her father set the table every night.
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The carpenters set their tools in the box at noon and go to lunch.
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The botanist set her plants in the sun so that they would grow.
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After carrying her son from the car, the mother set him in his crib.
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Don’t set the chocolate near the oven or it will melt.
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No sooner had they set the roast in the oven, than the electricity went out.