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
  • Some investors are holding back until next year’s potentially tight presidential election, worried that if Milei loses, the next government could unravel his free-market reforms.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Africa remains the continent with the largest electricity access gap, holding back economic growth and industrial development.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of holding back
Verb
  • With more than seven million people packed into over 9,000 high-rises, efficiency is key here, and people will judge you for holding up lines, hesitating with your Octopus card, or lingering over your dim sum table while others are waiting.
    — Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The video appears to show a person near the middle of the street holding up a cellphone to record the SUV when the vehicle’s front-right corner strikes the observer, who tumbles to the ground.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of holding up
Verb
  • The Ukrainian leader had accused the Pentagon of delaying the delivery of the missiles that other countries have purchased for Ukraine.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Opaque foam boards covered the windows, blocking sightlines and delaying evacuation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of delaying
Verb
  • Search queries hit a record high in the quarter, Google said, but revenue growth is slowing.
    — Ari Levy, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Another potential rate increase would mean pressing the brakes harder on the economy, in turn risking sluggish growth and risk slowing the job market further.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of slowing
Verb
  • The country's telecom and internet service market is dominated by Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani's Jio and Sunil Mittal's Airtel, with both companies together holding over 80% market share.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of holding over
Verb
  • Federal agents were still detaining undocumented immigrants across the state, and Latino residents — the state’s largest ethnic group at 41% — were suffering under the crushing cost of food, gas and housing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Police initially arrested two suspects before detaining three more on Sunday near Potchefstroom, about 120 kilometers (74 miles) west-southwest of Johannesburg.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 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.

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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 7 Nov. 2026.

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