phrasal verb · neutral
set sail
/sɛt seɪl/SET·SAIL
speakingtask2
to begin a journey by ship, or figuratively to start an important journey or venture
Examples
“They set sail for New Zealand in late summer.”
“The company set sail on an ambitious expansion plan last year.”
“Explorers set sail with hopes of finding new trade routes.”
Band 8 sentence
“The fleet set sail at first light, marking the start of an international scientific expedition.”
Collocations
- set sail for + place
- set sail on + noun (figurative)
Word family
set verbsail verb/noun
Common mistakes
set sail for to London→set sail for London
set the sail→set sail
Say it for a higher band
5leave→6depart→7+set sail
Synonyms
depart
weigh anchor
Easily confused
depart
“The train departs at 6:30.”
weigh anchor
“They weighed anchor at dawn.”
Related words
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In set …
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