sets back

verb

present tense third-person singular of set back
as in holds back

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sets back
  1. holds back
  2. holds up
  3. delays
  4. slows
  5. stems
  6. blocks
  7. keeps
  8. detains
Verb
  • Samsung traditionally holds back one color in the Galaxy S range to be a web exclusive and drive consumers to its website, although typically this is one of the standard black or grey colors.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
  • The hydropower from Glen Canyon Dam that holds back Lake Powell serves more than 350,000 homes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Definition of holds back
Verb
  • However, that lofty goal holds up only until personal beliefs collide with reality.
    — Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The diagnosis holds up, and the crypto casino economy has grown on that demand.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of holds up
Verb
  • Tennis has always been highly dependent on the weather; unlike in soccer or football, rain cancels or delays a match until the court is dry enough to be playable.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But a provision that delays for one month a federal ban on intoxicating hemp THC products has prompted criticism from many GOP lawmakers.
    — Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of delays
Verb
  • That’s where cognition becomes impaired, muscle contraction becomes impaired, and metabolism actually slows.
    — Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Italy's economy slows The milestone is particularly notable in a country long associated with political instability — a problem heightened by the 2010 to 2012 euro zone sovereign debt crisis — with 68 governments serving over 80 years.
    — Jenni Reid,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of slows
Verb
  • Notable Much of the community-level pushback to data centers stems not only from energy concerns, but from mistrust of large corporations and a fear that small towns will get a bad deal, journalist Jasmine Sun wrote last month.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • First, the recent surge in European inflation stems largely from supply-side energy factors.
    — , CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of stems
Verb
  • Some told the Miami Herald that the ruling blocks the path to asylum and that the cases cannot be evaluated in a vacuum.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Stopgap spending bill passes House The House voted yesterday to pass a stopgap government-funding bill that temporarily blocks the White House’s proposal to give political appointees more control over federal research grants.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of blocks
Verb
  • Would the Pistons exercise that right, if only to remove some of the pressure that keeps rising as that ominous October date nears?
    — Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This attempt by Israel to muzzle hope and stifle joy keeps repeating itself in all aspects of Palestinian life.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of keeps
Verb
  • The Midwest Regional Reception Center detains close to 500 fathers, mothers, spouses, cousins and friends on behalf of ICE.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The policy guidance applies to agents under Enforcement and Removal Operations, the branch of ICE that detains and ultimately deports undocumented immigrants.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 14 July 2026
Definition of detains
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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sets at
sets back
sets by
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Cite this Entry

“Sets back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sets%20back. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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