setback

1 of 2

noun

set·​back ˈset-ˌbak 

1

: a checking of progress

2

: defeat, reverse

3

: pitch entry 4 sense 7

4

: a placing of a face of a building on a line some distance to the rear of the building line or of the wall below

also : the area produced by a setback

5

: automatic scheduled adjustment to a lower temperature setting of a thermostat

6

: the distance of a structure or other feature (such as a well or septic system) from the property line or other feature

set back

2 of 2

verb

set back; setting back; sets back

transitive verb

1

: to slow the progress of : hinder, delay

2

: cost

a new suit will set you back $200

Synonyms

Noun

• knock
• lapse
• reversal
• reverse

Examples of setback in a Sentence

Noun

Despite some early setbacks, they eventually became a successful company.

the colonists persevered despite suffering setbacks that would have discouraged lesser souls

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Trump had his first big flop Punctuating the week was the Trump administration’s first big policy setback: the abrupt freeze, and then unfreezing, of federal grant funds amid a public revolt. —Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025

The ruling marks a significant legal setback for President Donald Trump’s early executive actions and is the second court order this week to limit his administration’s ability to freeze federal funds. —Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 31 Jan. 2025

Verb

In October 1977, for example, then CIA Director Stansfield Turner abruptly fired some 800 operations officers, tanking morale at the agency and setting back human intelligence operations for years to come. —Peter Schroeder, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2025

Amy Bach, with the consumer group United Policyholders, worries these catastrophic fires will set back efforts to bring insurance companies back to the market in places like Pacific Palisades and Altadena. —Greg Allen, NPR, 13 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1674, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

setback

noun

set·​back ˈset-ˌbak 

: a slowing of progress : a temporary defeat