set off for

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.

In July 1987, Gil, then 26 years old, donned a T-shirt with the phrase “Justice is a constant struggle” and set off for the clink in Kansas.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Lisandra's nine-year-old daughter set off for school that morning with nothing in her stomach, she explains, tears pricking her eyes.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

He put to memory the workings of the Arkwright apparatus and, after his apprenticeship ended, set off for America.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Years before the U.S. military set off for battlegrounds in Cuba and the Philippines, rebels in both places had begun to fight for independence from the decrepit Spanish empire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

Boys no older than I nailed together boxes out of wood scraps, painted them in bright colors, and set off for San Juan or Río Piedras, where men paid ten cents for a shoeshine.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago