Synonyms for set upon
set up·on

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1. set uponverb

   Synonyms:
   set on

2. set uponverb

   To attack someone.

   I was set upon by a couple of young thugs.

   Synonyms:
   set on

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. set uponverb

   To attack is to begin hostilities of any kind. A general invades a country by marching in troops; he attacks a city by drawing up an army against it; he assaults it by hurling his troops directly upon its defenses. Assail and assault, tho of the same original etymology, have diverged in meaning, so that assault alone retains the meaning of direct personal violence. One may assail another with reproaches; he assaults him with a blow, a brandished weapon, etc. Armies or squadrons charge; combat and encounter may be said of individual contests. To beset is to set around, or, so to speak, to stud one's path, with menaces, attacks, or persuasions. To besiege and beleaguer are the acts of armies. To encounter is to meet face to face, and may be said either of the attacking or of the resisting force or person, or of both.

   Synonyms:
   assail, assault, attack, attack, beleaguer, beset, besiege, charge, combat, encounter, fall upon, invade, storm

   Antonyms:
   aid, befriend, cover, defend, protect, resist, shelter, shield, support, sustain, uphold, withstand

   Preposition:
   We were attacked by the enemy with cannon and musketry.

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. beset, set uponverb

   assail or attack on all sides: "The zebra was beset by leopards"

   Synonyms:
   beset, chevvy, molest, hassle, harass, chivy, plague, provoke, chevy, incrust, encrust, harry, chivvy

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. set upon

   Synonyms:
   attack, assault, assail, have at, fly at, rush upon, set on

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How to use set upon in a sentence?

1. Mohamed Ali:

   There were police on one side of the bus that they set upon, and the terrorists were hiding on the other side, there was an exchange of fire, and the gunmen took refuge in the museum.

2. Samuel Johnson:

   Players, Sir! I look on them as no better than creatures set upon tables and joint stools to make faces and produce laughter, like dancing dogs.

3. Steve Cohen:

   It's tough being a public official these days, and I think you ought to be able to have some private time and not be set upon if you go to a ballgame, or if you go to a play or go to dinner.