setting back

verb

present participle of set back
as in holding back

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting back
  1. holding back
  2. holding up
  3. delaying
  4. slowing
  5. holding over
  6. detaining
Verb
  • In 2023, thawing permafrost led to a rock collapse into South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim, India, generating a wave that burst through the moraine holding back the glacial lake.
    — Umesh Haritashya, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Iris Skrami, chief executive officer of Renoon, said many companies are still holding back on their DPP work.
    — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of holding back
Verb
  • Analysts also underscored that all cylinders of the Indian economy were firing, with high-frequency indicators showing that consumption and investment in the country were holding up.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The Bay Area buying spree is the clearest manifestation of a nationwide trend of sales of upper-end properties largely holding up better than sales of less expensive homes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of holding up
Verb
  • Rural leaders will probably follow the urban practice of ensuring community input – as required by Congress – before allowing tax-delaying investments by wealthy financial backers.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In a 2022 One Earth study of more than 47,000 people across 68 countries, researcher Kelton Minor and colleagues found that warmer nighttime temperatures shorten sleep, mostly by delaying when people fall asleep.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of delaying
Verb
  • What remains of the rock by this stage shrinks rapidly, also slowing significantly, with this slowdown occurring faster if the rock has fragmented more successfully.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Using a largely obscure real estate company, the church has been quickly expanding its holdings in numerous states and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of slowing
Verb
  • There are more than 300 such foundations across the country, holding over $40 billion in assets, according to Grantmakers In Health (paywall).
    — Laura MacDonald, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Landa worked with the Association to get the original project approved in 2017 after holding over 30 public meetings.
    — Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
Definition of holding over
Verb
  • One day, her teen-age daughter, on the way to choir practice, witnessed ICE detaining someone outside her bus; Bre sent her children to stay with relatives in the suburbs.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • According to witnesses of the raid, local police and Canyon County sheriff’s deputies assisted ICE agents by zip-tying children and detaining people without asking about their immigration status.
    — Rachel Spacek, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of detaining
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.

Browse Nearby Words

setting at
setting back
setting by
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Cite this Entry

“Setting back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setting%20back. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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