Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

set up shop

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.79 in modern English

Syllables: set up shop
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To physically arrange a shop or workplace.

verb

To establish a business.

Example Sentences

"He set up shop in his garage every Saturday."
"They set up shop as venture capitalists on Sand Hill Road."
"Homer’s entrepreneurial spirit proves altogether overly infectious. Homer gives Barney a pep talk when he encounters him dressed up like a baby handing out fliers (Barney in humiliating costumes=always funny) and it isn’t long until Barney has purchased a truck of his own and set up shop as the Plow King."
"[…] these companies could enjoy support required to set up shop for the long term."

Inflected Forms

sets up shop (present, singular) setting up shop (participle, present)

Phrases

set out one's stall

Frequently Paired Words

set out one's stall

Synonyms

hang out one's shingle

Antonyms

close up shop

Questions

What does set up shop mean?: To physically arrange a shop or workplace.

How to pronounce set up shop

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “set up shop”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “set up shop”.
Repeat and practice — Say “set up shop” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.