setback

1 of 2

noun

set·​back ˈset-ˌbak 

1

: a checking of progress

2

: defeat, reverse

3

: pitch entry 4 sense 7

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

Synonyms

Noun

• knock
• lapse
• reversal
• reverse

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

Teens with an immortal mind-set don’t contemplate the power of setbacks and losses, but hearing about the nature of the scars on my body rattles them into contemplation. —Jackie Speier, Washington Post, 18 July 2024

The broken turbine is a major setback to the project, which had been seen as a bright spot for the struggling US offshore wind industry. —Ella Nilsen, CNN, 18 July 2024

Verb

On the call, Johnson delivered his most scathing remarks on the former president to date, casting him as a threat to democracy whose policies would set back the rights of minority voters in Milwaukee. —David Sivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 July 2024

And she isn’t set back by what would destroy others. —Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 17 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1674, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

setback

noun

set·​back ˈset-ˌbak 

: a slowing of progress : a temporary defeat