set the pace

English

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Verb

set the pace (third-person singular simple present sets the pace, present participle setting the pace, simple past and past participle set the pace)

  1. To establish the speed for a group to move at, for example in a race.
  2. (idiomatic) To establish a common goal by example.
    In May 2003, South Africa set the pace by banning thin plastic bags and imposing a tax on thick ones.
    • 2025 December 11, Charlie Campbell, Andrew R. Chow and Billy Perrigo, “The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year”, in Time[1]:
      OpenAI, which ignited the boom, continues to set the pace in many ways. Usage of ChatGPT more than doubled, to 10% of the world’s population.

See also