setting back

Definition of setting backnext
present participle of set back

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting back
Verb
  • For decades, business leaders have complained that California’s regulatory climate has overburdened companies across the state, blaming a morass of rules, permits and paperwork for pushing businesses and jobs out of state and holding back economic growth.
    Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
  • In court filings and a hearing earlier Friday, the states contended that the government did not have a legal reason for holding back the money from those states.
    Geoff Mulvihill, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Suamataia holding up was one of the few things that went right.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The woman and the agent appear to be holding up cellphones filming each other.
    Chris Looft, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • These conditions can make driving challenging, so exercise extreme caution on the road, and if possible, consider delaying your trip.
    Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Notably, employers may also inform applicants upfront when specific convictions would disqualify them under law or company policy, preserving transparency while delaying individualized screening.
    Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
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
  • And moviegoers turned out to indies from Rosemead to The Chronology of Water, All That’s Left Of You and more, new and holding over, limited, wide and top ten.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2026
  • 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
  • The federal statute authorizes law enforcement agencies to aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating, apprehending and detaining people in the country illegally.
    Richard Ruelas, AZCentral.com, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Jones was especially struck by reports of ICE detaining and interrogating children on their way to and from school.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
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 27 Jan. 2026.

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