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
Tia Goldenberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2024
Ohl said the strategy is designed to make sure developers are getting the high rents in the future with only a temporary setback at the start of the lease.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Michael Strahan's daughter Isabella Strahan is opening up about a recent setback in her cancer treatment.
—EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
The Taliban takeover The landscape of girls’ education, however, underwent a drastic setback following the collapse of the government in 2021.
—Enayat Nasir, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
Production for the documentary began in 2019, and took four years to complete after dealing with a two-year setback during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
Though the document is a clear setback for L.G.B.T.Q. people and their supporters, the Vatican took pains to strike a balance between protecting personal human dignity and clearly stating church teaching, a tightrope Francis has tried to walk in his more than 11 years as pope.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
But there were setbacks along the way that kept delaying his return.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just experienced what analysts deem his worst political setback in more than two decades.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
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
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
Noun
In other developments, negotiations meant to bring about a cease-fire in exchange for the release of the hostages appeared to hit a setback.
—Tia Goldenberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2024
Ohl said the strategy is designed to make sure developers are getting the high rents in the future with only a temporary setback at the start of the lease.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Michael Strahan's daughter Isabella Strahan is opening up about a recent setback in her cancer treatment.
—EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
The Taliban takeover The landscape of girls’ education, however, underwent a drastic setback following the collapse of the government in 2021.
—Enayat Nasir, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
Production for the documentary began in 2019, and took four years to complete after dealing with a two-year setback during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
Though the document is a clear setback for L.G.B.T.Q. people and their supporters, the Vatican took pains to strike a balance between protecting personal human dignity and clearly stating church teaching, a tightrope Francis has tried to walk in his more than 11 years as pope.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
But there were setbacks along the way that kept delaying his return.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just experienced what analysts deem his worst political setback in more than two decades.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
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
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
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 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
setback
noun
set·back
ˈset-ˌbak 
: a slowing of progress : a temporary defeat
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