Set up means to start a company or organisation, or to get something ready to use, such as equipment, an account or a workspace. “Set up a business” means to start your own company. “Set up a new phone” means to connect it and adjust its settings so that you can use it.
Want to use set up in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
set up + company/business/charity; set up + account/equipment/meeting; set it up
- My brother set up a small bakery after years of working in a hotel kitchen.
- Could you help me set up the projector before the meeting starts?
- It took me ten minutes to set up an account on the booking site.
What changed
First versionCan you help me tune the new Wi-Fi router?
RevisionCan you help me set up the new Wi-Fi router?
“Tune” may look like the right verb, but it means to adjust a musical instrument, or a radio to a station. When you connect equipment, software or an account and get it ready to use, say “set up”.
Written as one word, “setup” (or “set-up”) is a noun meaning the way something is arranged or organised: Our office setup is very simple. The verb is always two words: We need to set up the room before the guests arrive.
Your turn
The IT team will come after lunch to ___ the new printers in our office.
Show the answer
set up — The printers need to be connected and made ready to use, which is “set up”. “Tune” is used for musical instruments or radios, not for office equipment.
Describe a time you set up something new, such as a phone, a laptop, a workspace or an account. Say what exactly you set up and how long it took.
Last weekend I set up my parents' new smart TV, and it took almost two hours to connect all the apps.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.