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.
Iran refrained from acting against the strait for decades because it knew that doing so would set in motion things it didn’t want.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
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
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
It took a little while after that, of course, but the whole thing had been set in motion, and I was suddenly looking at everything—the Cottages, everybody there—in a different light.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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