dead set

1 of 2

phrase

: firmly determined

The mayor was dead set against [=strongly opposed to] the plan.

She was dead set on [=completely certain about] going to college.

set against

2 of 2

verb

set against; setting against; sets against

: feeling strongly that one does not want (something) or will not do (something)

Everyone was set against going.

He was dead set against the deal.

Examples of dead set in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Phrase

Damian Lewis makes a cameo as himself, or at least a version who’s dead set on writing a treatise on dog meat; Harriet Walter plays the long-suffering daughter of a romance author determined to get her mother’s smut some prestige. — Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

The brothers have not been on speaking terms for some time, and William is reportedly dead set against ever reconciling with Harry. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026

Verb

Symbioz Films has boarded sales on Swiss Turkish director Ufuk Emiroglu’s debut fiction feature Sevda, set against the backdrop of Istanbul’s cutthroat real estate world, and released a trailer. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026

What unfolds is a tragicomic story of reconciliation, infused with magical realism and set against the backdrop of the Sudanese revolution. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for dead set

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• binet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette