1
: a checking of progress
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
Synonyms
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
Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2024
Moulton and her colleagues set out to study the financial setbacks that followed the deaths of partners over age 50 in the pandemic, which widowed hundreds of thousands of older Americans.
—USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Instead of viewing setbacks as personal inadequacy, reframe them as valuable learning experiences.
—King Holder, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2024
In fact, a career setback– a layoff from her dream job as a beauty editor– became the catalyst for this beautiful new beginning.
—Tira Urquhart, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024
Anglo has faced a series of major setbacks over the past year as prices for some of its key products plunged, while operational difficulties have forced the company to slash its production targets — driving down its valuation and leaving the company vulnerable to potential bidders.
—Thomas Biesheuvel, Fortune Asia, 25 Apr. 2024
But the recent setbacks haven’t deterred him from dreaming.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
However conceived, public options will face setbacks.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 20 Apr. 2024
But all of these conversions continued to adhere to the eight-foot setback, as was still required by the deeds.
—Jeremy Lechtzin, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
That could open a potentially major opportunity for Xi, whose close ties with Putin and refusal to condemn his invasion have damaged China’s relationship with Europe and set back its longtime bid to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Part of the problem was an end to emergency funds for a supplemental nutrition assistance program, which set back families that were depending on the federal program for food.
—The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2024
President Biden is facing new pressure to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of the iconic manufacturer U.S. Steel, this time from environmental groups that say the tie-up would set back America’s efforts to curb climate change.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
But now Democratic lawmakers are joining Republicans in saying that the move is unfair to their constituents and will set back energy conservation.
—Calmatters, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2024
As a result, all 50 of the accommodations that dot the perimeter of the island have been carefully set back from the oceanfront so as not to disrupt the animals that rely on being able to nip from sea to jungle with haste.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
The military alliance expects a record 18 of its 31 member states to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense this year, a funding target set back in 2014, when Russia annexed a part of Ukraine.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024
The crisis has set back available shipping routes by more than a century.
—Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024
Noun
But the company suffered a setback earlier this month, when Consumer Reports found that several versions of Lunchables and generic look-alikes contained lead and cadmium, which have been linked to health problems in both children and adults.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2024
Moulton and her colleagues set out to study the financial setbacks that followed the deaths of partners over age 50 in the pandemic, which widowed hundreds of thousands of older Americans.
—USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Instead of viewing setbacks as personal inadequacy, reframe them as valuable learning experiences.
—King Holder, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2024
In fact, a career setback– a layoff from her dream job as a beauty editor– became the catalyst for this beautiful new beginning.
—Tira Urquhart, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024
Anglo has faced a series of major setbacks over the past year as prices for some of its key products plunged, while operational difficulties have forced the company to slash its production targets — driving down its valuation and leaving the company vulnerable to potential bidders.
—Thomas Biesheuvel, Fortune Asia, 25 Apr. 2024
But the recent setbacks haven’t deterred him from dreaming.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
However conceived, public options will face setbacks.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 20 Apr. 2024
But all of these conversions continued to adhere to the eight-foot setback, as was still required by the deeds.
—Jeremy Lechtzin, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Verb
Laguna Beach in 2023 adopted stricter rules for building or doing extensive expansions on bluffs, requiring developments be set back at least 25 feet from the cliff in specified zones.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
That could open a potentially major opportunity for Xi, whose close ties with Putin and refusal to condemn his invasion have damaged China’s relationship with Europe and set back its longtime bid to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Part of the problem was an end to emergency funds for a supplemental nutrition assistance program, which set back families that were depending on the federal program for food.
—The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2024
President Biden is facing new pressure to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of the iconic manufacturer U.S. Steel, this time from environmental groups that say the tie-up would set back America’s efforts to curb climate change.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
But now Democratic lawmakers are joining Republicans in saying that the move is unfair to their constituents and will set back energy conservation.
—Calmatters, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2024
As a result, all 50 of the accommodations that dot the perimeter of the island have been carefully set back from the oceanfront so as not to disrupt the animals that rely on being able to nip from sea to jungle with haste.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
The military alliance expects a record 18 of its 31 member states to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense this year, a funding target set back in 2014, when Russia annexed a part of Ukraine.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024
The crisis has set back available shipping routes by more than a century.
—Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'setback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near setback
Cite this Entry
“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/setback. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
setback
noun
set·back
ˈset-ˌbak 
: a slowing of progress : a temporary defeat
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