setting back

Definition of setting backnext
present participle of set back

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting back
Verb
  • Some businesses may also be holding back on adding jobs out of uncertainty about whether artificial intelligence will enable them to produce more without finding new employees.
    Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
  • There have been performances this year where Cowan has been holding back the tears, unable to separate himself from the emotion.
    Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Other Democrats protested by holding up signs and wearing statements on their clothing or walking out of the chamber altogether.
    Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
  • The outlet-exclusive style, on sale for under $40, is the ultimate travel essential, holding up to 52 liters.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Earlier this season, Garland had surgery on his left big toe and then sprained the right big toe, which continues to give him problems, delaying his Clippers’ debut.
    Janis Carr, Oc Register, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Some of those detainees could be charged in the weeks to come in Minneapolis, where a number of prosecutors have quit – delaying cases and slowing the court system.
    Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • As her centennial birthday approaches this July, Saar shows no signs of slowing down.
    Leigh-Ann Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The cold aches through your bones, and the streets become small rivers, slowing every step.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 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
  • Ideas expressed in the piece Hillary Clinton’s claim that Democratic presidents deported more people without detaining children or killing citizens misrepresents the historical record of immigration enforcement under Democratic administrations.
    Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The agent and his colleagues briefly surrounded her car before driving off without detaining her.
    Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 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 28 Feb. 2026.

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