phrasal verb · academic
set a precedent
/sɛt ə ˈprɛsɪdənt/set·a·PRE·ce·dent
to create an example or action that may serve as a standard for future similar situations
Examples
“The court's decision set a precedent for future cases involving digital privacy.”
“If the company waives fees now, it could set a precedent that customers expect later.”
“The policy change set a precedent that other departments soon followed.”
Band 8 sentence
“By refusing to accept the refund, the board feared it might set a precedent that would be costly in future disputes.”
Collocations
- set a precedent for
- dangerous/problematic precedent
Word family
Common mistakes
make a precedent→set a precedent
set precedent→set a precedent
set precedents→set a precedent
Say it for a higher band
5create a precedent→6establish a precedent→7+set a precedent
Synonyms
create a precedent
establish a precedent
Easily confused
create a precedent
“The judge's ruling created a precedent that influenced later decisions.”
set the tone
“Her calm response set the tone for the rest of the meeting.”
Related words
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