setting back

Definition of setting backnext
present participle of set back

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting back
Verb
  • Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams isn’t holding back in his response to Andy Cohen‘s criticism during Wednesday night’s CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live special with Anderson Cooper.
    Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 2 Jan. 2026
  • And even if the Senate and House fully fund NOAA, Sokich said the administration could continue holding back the funds.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The photos show the couple's two older kids — son Charlie, 2, and daughter Grace, 5 — holding up balloon numbers of 1 and 2, while Abbie is pictured holding a series of sonogram images and the balloon number 3.
    Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The United States is at a critical moment where family caregivers are holding up their families and the country's long-term care system, said Megan O'Reilly, vice president for health and family for AARP government affairs.
    Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • These cuts mean reducing supply budgets in most departments, delaying the purchase of new math curriculum and Chromebooks, freezing hiring for nonclassroom positions and canceling contract agreements that will not disrupt operations.
    Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025
  • In such cases, delaying treatment may worsen the condition.
    Merve Ceylan, Health, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • There’s ample time to react, but instead of gradually slowing down to respond to the SUV in front, the Tesla’s self-driving software brakes at the last second and veers off the road, nearly plunging into the depressed center of the grass median.
    Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026
  • At Hodge Park, where the city recently installed pickleball courts, Willett said the energy code was applied to a shade structure over the benches, slowing down the project by several months.
    David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • MicroStrategy remains the leader among corporate crypto treasuries, holding over 638,000 bitcoins valued at an astonishing $71 billion.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Video published on YouTube by the Figueroa family shows immigration agents detaining a man on a city street while a handful of passersby protest the arrest.
    Michael Loria, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The vehicle is seen parked near others that federal agents were seen using while detaining a person.
    Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
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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Cite this Entry

“Setting back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setting%20back. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.

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