setback
a check to progress; a reverse or defeat: The new law was a setback.
Architecture. a recession of the upper part of a building from the building line, as to lighten the structure or to permit a desired amount of light and air to reach ground level at the foot of the building.
an act or instance of setting back: A nightly setback of your home thermostats can save a great deal of fuel.
Also set-back. a downward temperature adjustment of a thermostat, especially performed automatically, as by a timer.
Origin of setback
1Words Nearby setback
Other definitions for set-back (2 of 2)
Surveying. the interval by which a chain or tape exceeds the length being measured.
Origin of set-back
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use setback in a sentence
Now to see whether ViacomCBS is able to avoid the setbacks that have waylaid NBCUniversal’s Peacock and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max.
How the future of TV and streaming has – and hasn’t – been reshaped so far by 2020 | Tim Peterson | September 16, 2020 | DigidayTo prevent another unpleasant and surprising setback, the commission also called for a whistleblower system.
A CRISPR Baby Future? New Report Outlines Path to Human Germline Editing | Shelly Fan | September 15, 2020 | Singularity HubBacking away from the deal would be a rare setback for Arnault, who built his empire through a string of acquisitions, amassing a conglomerate encompassing everything from Dior fashions to Dom Perignon Champagne.
The setback comes as a group of international scientists raised questions over a fast-moving vaccine from Russia, saying some results of a study appeared improbable.
Some scientists downplay significance of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine trial halt | Claire Zillman, reporter | September 9, 2020 | FortuneDespite such setbacks, cryptocurrency veterans believe yield farming and DeFi are part of a massive and permanent expansion of their industry.
This is hardly the “setback for gay marriage” that some enthusiastic headline-writers have proclaimed.
It meant more to our father to see us deal with a setback and try to bounce back than to watch how we handled our successes.
‘Calamity Jill’ Rises Again: Fired New York Times Editor Returns to the Public Stage | Lloyd Grove | May 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEach new setback, whether contrived or not, makes Jarvis newly “determined not to give the cameras the reaction they craved.”
Polar Explorer vs. Reality TV Crew: Tim Jarvis in the Footsteps of Shackleton | Darrell Hartman | January 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSeneca encouraged followers to possess the strength of immunity to setback, but never withheld his human touch.
New Year’s Reading List: Books to Transform Your Sad Life | David Masciotra | January 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf the New York City vote passes, as it is likely to, it will be the highest-profile setback for e-cigarettes in this country.
E-Cigarettes, Facing Ban, Still Figuring Out What They Want to Be | Alex Halperin | December 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSome Manchurian walnuts also got a setback with spring frosts, and some did not.
He polled less than a third of the votes, and Sinn Fein received a serious setback.
The Evolution of Sinn Fein | Robert Mitchell Henry"Look at her mouth—made for passion—and the very setback of her throat—" He threw his head back in Clara's defiant manner.
Sons and Lovers | David Herbert LawrenceThere is usually a setback in the wall at the floor level, but this practice was not followed in all the rooms.
Casa Grande Ruin | Cosmos MindeleffThe lawyer quickly returned, having received another setback.
Max Fargus | Owen Johnson
British Dictionary definitions for set back
to hinder; impede
informal to cost (a person) a specified amount
anything that serves to hinder or impede
a recession in the upper part of a high building, esp one that increases the daylight at lower levels
Also called: offset, setoff a steplike shelf where a wall is reduced in thickness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with setback
Slow down the progress of, hinder, as in The project was set back by the frequent absences of staff members. [First half of 1500s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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