setback

1 of 2

noun

set·​back ˈset-ˌbak How to pronounce setback (audio)
1
: a checking of progress
2
3
4
: a placing of a face of a building on a line some distance to the rear of the building line or of the wall below
also : the area produced by a setback
5
: automatic scheduled adjustment to a lower temperature setting of a thermostat
6
: the distance of a structure or other feature (such as a well or septic system) from the property line or other feature

set back

2 of 2

verb

set back; setting back; sets back

transitive verb

1
: to slow the progress of : hinder, delay
2
: cost
a new suit will set you back $200

Examples of setback in a Sentence

Noun Despite some early setbacks, they eventually became a successful company. the colonists persevered despite suffering setbacks that would have discouraged lesser souls
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Environmental reviews and lawsuits over the authority’s plans to disrupt housing complexes and developments have caused other setbacks. Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Adverse jury decisions and a pipeline setback have sent the share price to a nearly 20-year low. Bill Anderson, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 The probe suffered a setback earlier this year when one key Republican witness, Alexander Smirnov, was indicted for allegedly lying to investigators about the Biden family’s business dealings. Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 But November’s verdict marked the association’s biggest setback yet — and ultimately led to the downfall of the rules that have long protected its compensation model. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 What might be temporary setbacks for other Presidents (the chaotic pullout of troops from Afghanistan, the challenges of balancing American sympathies on different sides of the Israel-Gaza war) tend to become political turning points for him. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024 In a four-point setback Tuesday at UNLV, a key game that dented critical NCAA seeding and doomed any shot at the regular-season title, San Diego State missed 23 of its first 25 shots. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Reece experienced a number of medical setbacks over the next few years, according to news reports. Pamela Appea, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, Apple tried to claw its way back from a series of setbacks. Laura Bratton, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
As a result, all 50 of the accommodations that dot the perimeter of the island have been carefully set back from the oceanfront so as not to disrupt the animals that rely on being able to nip from sea to jungle with haste. Liam Hess, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 The military alliance expects a record 18 of its 31 member states to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense this year, a funding target set back in 2014, when Russia annexed a part of Ukraine. Anna Cooban, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 The crisis has set back available shipping routes by more than a century. Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024 The start of the exam was set back at some test centers, as students had problems connecting to the Wi-Fi. Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The delay will also set back the launch of Artemis III, which would see two astronauts touch down on the surface of the moon, to September 2026, from its original 2025 date. USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 With more than half the world’s population voting in elections in 2024, the global climate agenda could be set back if far-right parties unsupportive of climate action—and often outright rejecting the scientific reality of climate change—come to power. Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 18 Jan. 2024 And in contrast to Reagan’s strategy, Kissinger’s sacrifice of immediate moral imperatives set back even the ends of achieving world peace and securing the strength of the republic. Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 Moreover, some experts warn, a kind of national loyalty campaign that focuses largely on Palestinians and Arab Israelis is almost certain to set back yearslong efforts to diversify the workforce in key economic sectors and foster intercommunal peace through private sector initiatives. Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'setback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1674, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of setback was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near setback

Cite this Entry

“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/setback. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

setback

noun
set·​back ˈset-ˌbak How to pronounce setback (audio)
: a slowing of progress : a temporary defeat

More from Merriam-Webster on setback

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