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
  • Harvest stems weekly to encourage bushy growth and prevent the plant from getting leggy.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Critics have said the size of the gap stems in large part from Connecticut’s lack of investment in special education, which is meant to reduce those disparities as much as possible.
    — Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 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
  • That has forced tankers onto longer routes and pushed up insurance costs, tightening the effective supply of vessels even as global trade keeps moving.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The 340-pound ball is just soft enough to bounce lightly over bumpy obstacles, but its slight overpressure keeps it relatively firm.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 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 10 Sep. 2026.

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