1
: a checking of progress
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
Synonyms
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
Mary Clare Jalonick, Fortune, 10 May 2024
The son of the late Loretta Lynn is back in the hospital in the latest setback in his ongoing illness.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 6 May 2024
Not requiring setbacks made ADUs more feasible on smaller or unusually configured properties.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 May 2024
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party suffered setbacks in recent elections over Turkey's continued ties to Israel.
—Ceyda Caglayan, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
Humza Yousaf Resigns: Scotland’s first minister resigned in a fresh setback for his Scottish National Party, which has been engulfed in a slow-burning crisis over a funding scandal that erupted after Nicola Sturgeon stepped down last year.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 3 May 2024
The Gardners opened the season with two first-places and have overcome any setbacks to come out better than before.
—Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 1 May 2024
But the company suffered a setback earlier this month, when Consumer Reports found that several versions of Lunchables and generic look-alikes contained lead and cadmium, which have been linked to health problems in both children and adults.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2024
Moulton and her colleagues set out to study the financial setbacks that followed the deaths of partners over age 50 in the pandemic, which widowed hundreds of thousands of older Americans.
—USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
Working with her stylist and creative director Brett Alan Nelson, the duo started crafting the concept for Doja’s Coachella set back in November.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024
That defense peaked in Week 14 when the Vikings blanked the Las Vegas Raiders 3-0.
While the overall offensive performance of both teams may have set back football 20 years or more in that game, the Vikings defense abused the Raiders and rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell from start to finish.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Laguna Beach in 2023 adopted stricter rules for building or doing extensive expansions on bluffs, requiring developments be set back at least 25 feet from the cliff in specified zones.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
That could open a potentially major opportunity for Xi, whose close ties with Putin and refusal to condemn his invasion have damaged China’s relationship with Europe and set back its longtime bid to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Part of the problem was an end to emergency funds for a supplemental nutrition assistance program, which set back families that were depending on the federal program for food.
—The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2024
President Biden is facing new pressure to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of the iconic manufacturer U.S. Steel, this time from environmental groups that say the tie-up would set back America’s efforts to curb climate change.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
But now Democratic lawmakers are joining Republicans in saying that the move is unfair to their constituents and will set back energy conservation.
—Calmatters, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2024
Noun
Failure to pass the popular bipartisan bill by May 10 would have been the latest setback after months of delays on the measure, and the last-minute deal to pass it was the most recent example of Congress struggling to pass major legislation that had broad bipartisan support.
—Mary Clare Jalonick, Fortune, 10 May 2024
The son of the late Loretta Lynn is back in the hospital in the latest setback in his ongoing illness.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 6 May 2024
Not requiring setbacks made ADUs more feasible on smaller or unusually configured properties.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 May 2024
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party suffered setbacks in recent elections over Turkey's continued ties to Israel.
—Ceyda Caglayan, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
Humza Yousaf Resigns: Scotland’s first minister resigned in a fresh setback for his Scottish National Party, which has been engulfed in a slow-burning crisis over a funding scandal that erupted after Nicola Sturgeon stepped down last year.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 3 May 2024
The Gardners opened the season with two first-places and have overcome any setbacks to come out better than before.
—Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 1 May 2024
But the company suffered a setback earlier this month, when Consumer Reports found that several versions of Lunchables and generic look-alikes contained lead and cadmium, which have been linked to health problems in both children and adults.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2024
Moulton and her colleagues set out to study the financial setbacks that followed the deaths of partners over age 50 in the pandemic, which widowed hundreds of thousands of older Americans.
—USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Verb
Deep rectangular floors were set back every ten stories, creating a three-tiered wedding cake.
—D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
Working with her stylist and creative director Brett Alan Nelson, the duo started crafting the concept for Doja’s Coachella set back in November.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024
That defense peaked in Week 14 when the Vikings blanked the Las Vegas Raiders 3-0.
While the overall offensive performance of both teams may have set back football 20 years or more in that game, the Vikings defense abused the Raiders and rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell from start to finish.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Laguna Beach in 2023 adopted stricter rules for building or doing extensive expansions on bluffs, requiring developments be set back at least 25 feet from the cliff in specified zones.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
That could open a potentially major opportunity for Xi, whose close ties with Putin and refusal to condemn his invasion have damaged China’s relationship with Europe and set back its longtime bid to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Part of the problem was an end to emergency funds for a supplemental nutrition assistance program, which set back families that were depending on the federal program for food.
—The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2024
President Biden is facing new pressure to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of the iconic manufacturer U.S. Steel, this time from environmental groups that say the tie-up would set back America’s efforts to curb climate change.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
But now Democratic lawmakers are joining Republicans in saying that the move is unfair to their constituents and will set back energy conservation.
—Calmatters, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near setback
Cite this Entry
“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/setback. Accessed 14 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
setback
noun
set·back
ˈset-ˌbak 
: a slowing of progress : a temporary defeat
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