set in motion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The change that was set in motion during that visit would later become Universal Credit, a benefit that now supports more than eight million people.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
The researchers found that the crystals, made from an iron-containing compound called heme, are set in motion by the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026
When players refused to sing the national anthem at a game in Australia, they set in motion a fateful series of events.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
Their grief and fury set in motion the countervailing force of justice that, no matter how belated, cannot be denied.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
In throwing it back, they set in motion an evolutionary process: If you are a crab and your carapace is ordinary, the humans will eat you.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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