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 explorers persevered despite suffering setbacks that would have discouraged those with lesser ambition.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Senate Republicans hit a major setback in their race to pass a massive tax and spending package on Thursday, as a chamber official ruled against a key provision to get the conference on board to vote for the plan by week's end. —Claudia Grisales, NPR, 26 June 2025

The ruling is a major setback for Republican leadership, who are under pressure to expeditiously move it to the Senate floor to meet Trump's Fourth of July deadline for passage. —Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 26 June 2025

Verb

David Albright, a nuclear weapons expert, speculated that the initial wave of attacks could set back any Iranian attempt to develop a nuclear weapon by about a year. —Emma Burrows, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025

Adding to that, childhood has changed in recent years in ways that could have set back boys further. —Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 31 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1674, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for setback

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback

Kids Definition

setback

noun

set·​back ˈset-ˌbak 

: a slowing of progress : a temporary defeat