setting

setting — noun

1. The physical location of a house, village, or other structure, particularly in r

1.nounB2
Definition

The physical location of a house, village, or other structure, particularly in relation to the landforms, scenery, or other buildings around it.

Example

The mountain village's setting among the pine forests offers peace and quiet.

setting + of + place: the physical location of a structure

Tendai chose the house for its beautiful setting near the lake.

Common collocations
  • rural setting
  • coastal setting
  • mountain setting
  • setting of the house
  • natural setting
  • peaceful setting
Synonyms
  • location

    more general term for a place; less emphasis on surroundings

  • surroundings

    focuses on the environment around, not the structure itself

  • site

    more formal; often used for construction or historical places

Grammar Patterns

setting + of + place noun

adjective + setting

Usage Note

Commonly paired with adjectives describing physical geography: rural setting, coastal setting, mountain setting, urban setting.

Common Mistakes

The setting of the party was at my house.
The party was at my house.
When referring to the location of an event, 'setting' is more natural for describing the surroundings rather than the address.
I like the setting of this table.' (when meaning the surface arrangement)
I like the arrangement on this table.
'setting' for furniture position focuses on the house's location, not items on a table.

2. The period and location where a story told in a novel, movie, drama, or TV progr

2.nounB1
Definition

The period and location where a story told in a novel, movie, drama, or TV programme unfolds.

Example

The novel's setting is a small Italian village during the 1950s.

setting + of + story/novel/film/play

Anya loved the futuristic setting of the film with its flying cars and robot servants.

Common collocations
  • historical setting
  • fictional setting
  • setting of the story
  • setting of the film
  • contemporary setting
Synonyms
  • background

    less precise; can refer to context rather than specific time and place

  • context

    broader — includes social and historical circumstances, not just time and place

  • scene

    often refers to one specific location within a story, not the overall setting

Grammar Patterns

setting + of + story/novel/film/play

setting + for + story

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 8 (FILM SET): sense 2 refers to the fictional time and place portrayed in a story, whereas sense 8 refers to the physical scenery and location where filming or staging actually happens.

Common Mistakes

The setting of the movie studio is in Hollywood.
The movie studio is located in Hollywood.
A real building's location is its actual site, not its 'setting.'

3. The collection of plates, cutlery, glasses, and other tableware laid out for one

3.nounB2
Definition

The collection of plates, cutlery, glasses, and other tableware laid out for one person at a meal.

Example

The waiter laid a setting with a soup spoon, fish knife and two wine glasses.

count noun: 'a setting' for one person's tableware

Each place setting at the wedding had a gold-rimmed plate and a crystal water glass.

Common collocations
  • place setting
  • dinner setting
  • formal setting
  • table setting
Synonyms
  • place setting

    the full compound term; more precise and common in everyday use

  • table service

    can refer to a matching set of dishes, not necessarily arranged for one person

Grammar Patterns

place setting

dinner setting

setting + for + number + people

Usage Note

Often used in the compound 'place setting.' The full expression 'place setting' distinguishes it from other senses. When specifying quantity, say 'six settings' not 'six place settings' (though both occur).

4. A selectable position along a machine's dial or panel that determines its perfor

4.nounB1
Definition

A selectable position along a machine's dial or panel that determines its performance, such as the temperature on an oven or the speed on a fan.

Example

Turn the oven setting to one hundred and eighty degrees to bake the bread.

setting + on/at + value/level

Eli adjusted the thermostat setting to a cooler temperature before going to bed.

Common collocations
  • temperature setting
  • speed setting
  • timer setting
  • oven setting
  • heat setting
  • power setting
Synonyms
  • level

    focuses on the degree or amount, not the control position

  • mode

    implies a program or function, not just a numerical level

Grammar Patterns

setting + on + device

number + setting

adjective + setting

Common Mistakes

I put the oven on a high setting' (vague).
I set the oven to two hundred degrees.
When a specific value is known, name it rather than using 'setting' alone.

5. A particular operating mode or function that can be turned on, off, or otherwise

5.nounA2
Definition

A particular operating mode or function that can be turned on, off, or otherwise selected on a mobile phone, camera, computer, or similar electronic device.

Example

Lan switched her phone to silent setting before the meeting started.

setting for a device mode: silent, night, airplane, power-saving

The camera's night setting takes clearer pictures when there is very little light.

Common collocations
  • silent setting
  • night setting
  • airplane setting
  • power-saving setting
  • camera setting
Synonyms
  • mode

    interchangeable in technology contexts; 'mode' may sound slightly more technical

  • function

    more general; a function does something, while a setting is a configured state

Grammar Patterns

setting + on + device

adjective + setting

setting + for + function

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 6 (OPTIONS MENU): sense 5 refers to an individual function or mode you select (silent setting, night setting), whereas sense 6 refers to the settings menu area where you make such selections.

6. The part of a smartphone, laptop, or other gadget's interface that lets users vi

6.nounB1
Definition

The part of a smartphone, laptop, or other gadget's interface that lets users view and alter its behaviour and appearance.

Example

Felix found the Bluetooth option in the main setting of his phone.

the setting: the menu/area where preferences are adjusted

You can change your password in the security setting of the app.

Common collocations
  • phone setting
  • settings menu
  • display setting
  • security setting
  • language setting
  • sound setting
Synonyms
  • preferences

    common on computers, especially for software customisation

  • configuration

    more technical; used in computing contexts

  • options menu

    less common on mobile phones, more common in software

Grammar Patterns

setting + on/in + device

the + adjective + setting

setting + menu

Usage Note

Frequently appears in the compounds 'settings menu' or 'settings app.' On smartphones, this sense often refers to a dedicated 'Settings' icon or screen. May be pluralised as 'settings' (e.g., 'go to your phone settings').

Common Mistakes

I changed a setting in the settings.
I changed an option in the settings menu.
Avoid using 'setting' twice in the same short phrase; use 'option' or 'preference' for the individual item.

7. the metal frame on a ring or necklace used to keep a gemstone safely fixed.

7.nounB1
Definition

the metal frame on a ring or necklace used to keep a gemstone safely fixed.

Example

The diamond fell out of its gold setting while Bao was washing dishes.

Élise chose a simple silver setting for her sapphire so the stone would stand out.

Common collocations
  • gold setting
  • silver setting
  • bezel setting
  • claw setting
  • loose setting
  • cracked setting
  • diamond setting
Synonyms
  • mount

    more technical, often used in jewellery-making contexts

  • mounting

    emphasises the structural frame that holds the gem

  • frame

    less specific; can refer to any border or support

Usage Note

Often paired with a metal type (gold setting, silver setting) or a mounting style (bezel setting, claw setting, pave setting). The setting is the metal frame, not the stone itself.

Common Mistakes

The ring's diamond fell out of the setting and was lost.
The diamond fell out of its setting and was lost.
'Setting' refers to the metal mount, not the whole ring.
I put a candle on the table setting' (confusing with sense 3, a place setting).
The jeweller showed us different settings for the ruby.
When talking about jewellery, setting means the metal frame holding a gem.

8. the built environment used when making a film or showing a play, including furni

8.nounB1
Definition

the built environment used when making a film or showing a play, including furniture, backdrops, and other objects that create the scene.

Example

The director walked onto the setting and asked for brighter lights behind the actors.

collocation: walk onto / step onto the setting

Workers spent three weeks building a medieval castle setting for the new movie.

Common collocations
  • film setting
  • stage setting
  • build a setting
  • on the setting
  • movie setting
  • TV setting
  • elaborate setting
Synonyms
  • set

    shorter and more common in film and theatre production; 'setting' sounds slightly more formal

  • stage set

    specifically for theatre productions

  • soundstage

    a large indoor space built for film or TV production

Usage Note

Do not confuse with sense 2, which refers to the fictional time and place where a story takes place (e.g., 'a novel set in 19th-century London'). Sense 8 refers to the physical production environment — the built scenery, props, and lighting used during filming or performance.

Common Mistakes

The story's setting is a small fishing village in Ireland.' (This is sense 2 — the fictional location of the narrative.)
The crew built the setting for the fishing village on a soundstage in London.
Sense 8 is about the physical production set, not the story's location.

9. a piece of music composed for existing written material, like a poem or lyric, t

9.nounB2
Definition

a piece of music composed for existing written material, like a poem or lyric, turning it into a song that can be performed.

Example

The composer wrote a beautiful musical setting for the poem 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree.'

setting + for + [poem/text]: a setting for a poem

Faisal's choir performed a setting of Psalm 23 set to a simple folk tune.

Common collocations
  • musical setting
  • setting of a poem
  • write a setting
  • compose a setting
  • vocal setting
  • choral setting
Synonyms
  • musical arrangement

    broader — can mean any reworking of existing music, not necessarily for text

  • composition

    more general; a setting is one type of composition

  • score

    the written form of the music; more technical

Grammar Patterns

setting + of + text

musical setting

Usage Note

This sense is used specifically for music composed to fit existing words (poems, psalms, lyrics). It does not apply to songs where the words and music were created together by the same person. The preposition 'of' is typically used: 'a setting of a poem by Yeats.'

Common Mistakes

I like the setting of this song.' (Vague; songs usually have words and music written together.)
The composer's setting of the sonnet was performed at the concert.
'Setting' means music written specifically for existing text.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

While all four words relate to the circumstances around something, they differ in scope and use. 'Scene' refers to a specific location within a narrative — one moment in a particular place — whereas 'setting' covers the entire time-and-place framework of a story. 'Background' is broader and more abstract; it can include social, political, or historical circumstances without naming a specific location. 'Context' is the most abstract of the group, referring to the surrounding facts, conditions, or discourse that give meaning to something. 'Environment' focuses on the physical and natural surroundings, often with a practical or ecological angle. For example: 'The novel's setting is 1920s Paris' (time + place); 'The opening scene takes place in a crowded café' (specific location within that setting); 'The background of the conflict includes economic hardship' (circumstances, not place); 'The context of the conversation was a tense board meeting' (situational frame); 'The environment of the story is harsh and mountainous' (physical surroundings).

scene ↗background ↗context ↗environment ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • setting sun
  • setting time

Phrases

  • change the settings
  • adjust the settings
  • restore default settings
  • place setting

Prepositions

  • in a setting
  • of a setting
  • to a setting

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'setting' comes from the verb 'set', which entered English from Old English 'settan' (to put, place, fix). The verbal noun 'setting' appeared in Middle English, initially referring to the action of putting something in position. By the 16th century it was used for the physical location of a building; by the 18th century for a story's time and place; and in the 19th century for the metal mount of a gem and for tableware arrangement. The technology senses (machine level, device mode, options menu) developed in the 20th century as 'set' acquired the meaning of 'adjust to a desired state.'