setback
Americannoun
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setbacks
plural
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a check to progress; a reverse or defeat.
The new law was a setback.
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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.
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an act or instance of setting back.
A nightly setback of your home thermostats can save a great deal of fuel.
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Also a downward temperature adjustment of a thermostat, especially performed automatically, as by a timer.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of setback
First recorded in 1665–75; noun use of verb phrase set back
Explanation
A setback is an event that makes you lose progress or keeps you from gaining ground. If you're knitting a sweater, dropping a bunch of stitches would be a big setback. If warring countries are negotiating a treaty, a sudden resurgence of fighting would be a huge setback for their peace plan. And if you're trying to finish baking in time for you friend's birthday party, knocking the frosted cake onto the floor would also be a setback. Setbacks are always frustrating — unless you're talking about the kind of setback that's defined as "a building's distance from the street."
Vocabulary lists containing setback
Vocabulary from Hillary Clinton's Concession Speech, November 9, 2016
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 10–September 16, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I think my clients are mostly people who feel a void in their relationships or have suffered a setback."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
After a setback in May, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is slated to launch before the end of the year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
"After a setback in July, Germany's cyclical rebound gained new momentum in August," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
But the latest homeless count showed the numbers are growing once again, dealing a setback to Bass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
His death was a severe setback to the government, and the effectiveness and aggressiveness of the Crown team diminished from that point on.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Novartis shelves a study for Fabhalta in patients with a serious kidney-disease complication, adding to a growing list of clinical setbacks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
European organisers, including those in France and, more recently, the Netherlands, have encountered similar setbacks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Like Kane, Lankshear also had early career setbacks.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Coach Sean McVay has said that, barring setbacks, he expected Donald would play against the Bills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
But for all of my setbacks I am strong strong.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
