SETS BACK Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

sets back

verb

present tense third-person singular of set back

as in holds back

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for sets back

Verb

Eventually, though, and soon, Colorado will need to institute a new water conservation program that holds back some water for release downstream through this stretch and on toward Lake Powell when it’s most needed in summer, Holm said.

— Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of holds back

Verb

After much hemming and hawing, Diplo selects an orange flower to purchase and posts a video to his Instagram stories in which the man holds up his shopping bag printed with a website for his wares.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
The first kind holds up under pressure, the second kind doesn’t.

— Flavio Maluf, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of holds up

Verb

Even if Illinois delays its natural gas plant closings, the state will need more batteries, and Richardson is rushing to provide them.

— John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
In this scenario, the heart attack now drives the pricing, while the prostate cancer delays the application.

— Howard Wolinsky, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of delays

Verb

Advertisement Give broccoli stems a chance Jonathan Deutsch has watched fellow cooks buy cases of broccoli, cut off the florets, and throw away the stems.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
The novel’s conceit stems in part from my attempt to grapple with my family’s and my own trauma and what constitutes truth.

— Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of stems

Verb

Highly possible, yet the USA keeps assuring Ukranian leaders that the support of the United States is with them.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
One of cosmology’s greatest mysteries is the nature of dark energy—the invisible force that keeps the universe expanding at an ever-increasing rate.

— Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 15 Oct. 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

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sets at

sets back

sets by

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“Sets back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sets%20back. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sets back

verb

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