Set-off

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    That which is set off against another thing; an offset.

    "D. Jerrold I do not contemplate such a heroine as a set-off to the many sins imputed to me as committed against woman."

  2. 2
    That which is used to improve the appearance of anything; a decoration; an ornament. dated
  3. 3
    A counterclaim; a cross debt or demand; a distinct claim filed or set up by the defendant against the plaintiff's demand.
  4. 4
    The situation where a bank or similar organisation repays itself money owed by an accountholder out of his or her account.
  5. 5
    An offset.

Synonyms

All synonyms
compensation

Example

More examples

"D. Jerrold I do not contemplate such a heroine as a set-off to the many sins imputed to me as committed against woman."

Etymology

Deverbal from set off.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.