For most of the 20th century, the word "set" wore the crown as the English language's most versatile word. When the Oxford English Dictionary's Second Edition was published in 1989, "set" commanded a staggering 430 different senses across a 60,000-word entry—the longest in the entire dictionary. That's 326,000 characters dedicated to a single three-letter word.

But language evolves, and so do records.

The New Champion: "Run"

The word "run" has since sprinted past "set" with 645 different usage cases for the verb form alone in the upcoming Oxford English Dictionary edition. That's more than triple the number of definitions "set" currently holds. One lexicographer spent nine months researching "run" alone, filling 75 columns of type.

When the first OED was published in 1928, "set" occupied 32 full pages. Later, "put" briefly overtook it. But "run" eventually left them both in the dust.

Why "Set" Had So Many Meanings

"Set" earned its massive entry through remarkable flexibility. It functions as:

A verb: "Set your watch to the correct time"
A noun: "A mathematical set of numbers"
An adjective: "A set number of participants"

The word also spawned countless phrasal verbs—set down, set out, set up, set forth—each counting as distinct definitions. This grammatical versatility let "set" infiltrate nearly every corner of English expression.

How "Run" Took Over

"Run" appears to have gained ground during the Industrial Revolution, when mechanized innovation adopted it as the verb of choice. Machines didn't "set"—they ran. Factories ran. Programs ran. Time ran out.

British author Simon Winchester described "run" as "a feature of our more energetic and frantic times," making "set" seem almost passive by comparison. As society accelerated, so did the language we used to describe it.

Today, "run" dominates in ways "set" never could. You run a business, run for office, run errands, run late, run into problems, run out of patience, and run the risk of running out of examples. It's the linguistic workhorse of modern English.

The Legacy of "Set"

While "set" may have lost its crown, it remains one of the most complex words in English. Its 200+ current meanings in the OED still represent an extraordinary linguistic achievement. From sunset to mindset, from television sets to setting concrete, the word continues to set standards—just not records.

The competition between "set" and "run" reveals something fascinating about language: it's not static. Words that dominate one era can be overtaken in the next, reflecting the changing priorities and innovations of society itself. In this race for definitions, "run" has pulled ahead—at least for now.

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