Meaning trap
set aside
annul legally
to officially cancel or annul a legal decision, judgment, or order so that it is no longer valid.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to officially cancel or annul a legal decision, judgment, or order so that it is no longer valid.
'set aside' also has the more basic meaning 'save for a particular purpose'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The court set aside the previous ruling due to new evidence.law
- In some cases, a conviction may be set aside if it is proven that the defendant did not receive a fair trial.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: set aside + noun (legal decision/verdict/ruling)
WrongThe judge set away the conviction.
RightThe judge set aside the conviction.
The legal phrase is 'set aside' (annul), not 'set away'.
Patternset aside + noun (legal decision/verdict/ruling)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Set aside' is the standard legal term for annulling a judgment; 'invalidated' is a loose paraphrase.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
set aside + rulingthe verdictthe convictionthe judgmentthe order
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense ('save for a purpose') and the B2 sense ('ignore or not consider'), this sense is specific to legal contexts and means to make a legal decision invalid.
Related
- set aside (save for a particular purpose) — 'set aside' also has the more basic meaning 'save for a particular purpose'; this is the advanced sense.