sets in motion

verb

present tense third-person singular of set in motion
as in whips (up)

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sets in motion
  1. provokes
  2. picks
  3. incites
  4. ferments
Verb
  • Another friend recounted the ins-and-outs of her 11-year-old’s baseball league, which provokes more political intrigue than a Hilary Mantel novel.
    — Mary Pauline Lowry, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
  • His jealousy provokes an act of betrayal and cruelty.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 June 2026
Definition of provokes
Verb
  • Nobody picks a bank because of who owns the servers, so why sink capital into owning them?
    — Mushfig Aliyev, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Subscribe here to our newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026
Definition of picks
Verb
  • The rule will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field of play in protest.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
  • The catalyst of all the tragedy that Bear incites is the One Wish Willow, a kitschy antique toy that promises to grant one (literal) wish for whoever snaps it in half.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Definition of incites
Verb
  • My personal favorite is A Pizzeri, where Michele, its pizza master, slowly ferments his dough everyday and maintains a large stack of olive branches for firewood.
    — Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2026
  • In Olivia’s storage basement, Thomas ferments food scraps for use in future dishes.
    — Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026
Definition of ferments
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

sets in
sets in motion
sets off
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Cite this Entry

“Sets in motion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sets%20in%20motion. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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