How to Use setback in a Sentence

setback

noun
  • Despite some early setbacks, they eventually became a successful company.
  • That in no way means the biggest setbacks failed to sting.
    Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2023
  • The talks were cut short, and both sides blamed each other for the setbacks.
    Chris Massaro, Fox News, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Pittman was asked how the Hogs could turn the tight-game setbacks into wins.
    Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Despite the setback, morale was high on the picket line.
    Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Those could face a setback if BA.2.86 is able to spread more widely.
    Alexander Tin, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2023
  • And a slew of setbacks in recent weeks suggests the odds of a shutdown are at least even.
    Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2024
  • Seattle was on the fringes of being in the AL wild-card race after the Aug. 1 setback to Boston.
    Matt Goul, cleveland, 1 Sep. 2023
  • But there were setbacks along the way that kept delaying his return.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
  • The Sixers will likely tread cautiously with Melton for at least the next week or two to avoid any setbacks.
    Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Meanwhile, Apple tried to claw its way back from a series of setbacks.
    Laura Bratton, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024
  • That setback came as a financial blow for Sage and Biogen.
    Robert Weisman, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023
  • Prince Harry suffered a setback in his lawsuit against the publisher of tabloid The Sun.
    Justin Ray, Robb Report, 28 July 2023
  • In the month since the settlement, Fox has refused to comment in detail on the case or the many subsequent setbacks.
    Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 27 May 2023
  • After three decades of stalling and setbacks, what has suddenly changed?
    John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 8 May 2023
  • The Aggies’ lone loss during that span was a 99-86 setback at New Mexico.
    Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 26 Jan. 2024
  • Yu Change suffered a small setback in his recovery from a broken bone in his hand.
    Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2023
  • The report proved to be yet another setback as X sought to win back big brands and their ad dollars, X's main source of revenue.
    CBS News, 25 Mar. 2024
  • Having fewer billable hours is a huge setback, because in that firm, like many firms.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 29 Nov. 2023
  • Adverse jury decisions and a pipeline setback have sent the share price to a nearly 20-year low.
    Bill Anderson, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
  • The groups hope to launch trials in living patients soon, but Faucette’s death may be a setback for the prospect of xenotransplantation.
    Emily Mullin, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Musk’s other ventures have also been hit with their own share of legal setbacks.
    Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 3 Jan. 2024
  • Some even felt inspired by her tenacity in the face of numerous setbacks.
    Tayler Adigun, Essence, 10 Oct. 2023
  • The transition may be difficult because the glitchy app has been rife with problems and setbacks for migrants since it was launched.
    The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2023
  • In times like these, setbacks and obstacles are inevitable.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
  • But the mixed signal sent from Dubai about wealthy countries’ readiness to contribute more is a setback, say observers.
    Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2023
  • The ayes were unanimous for the setback and the variance, for the bigger parking lot and the sally port, but when the vote on the jail came up last November, voters killed the initiative.
    Jeff MacGregor, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 June 2023
  • Iran, which calls for Israel’s destruction, sees upside for itself in setbacks for the Jewish state.
    Laurence Norman and Sune Engel Rasmussen, WSJ, 15 Dec. 2023
  • Ohl said the strategy is designed to make sure developers are getting the high rents in the future with only a temporary setback at the start of the lease.
    Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
  • Now, with the onset of a new grand conflict with the West, Russia’s intelligence agencies are seeking to reverse the setbacks that unfolded at the end of the Cold War.
    Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 27 Dec. 2023

Some of 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.

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