See the Dictionary Definition 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting back
Verb
-
Jack Antonoff isn’t holding back on his thoughts on music makers who use artificial intelligence.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026 -
Plus, Superjumbo has been holding back on things like listening parties and has turned down artists that wanted to do in-store performances because of the limited space, according to Mancuso.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The long view The expectation of a lower enrollment trend holding up is one of the key factors likely to translate into higher cost estimates as insurers draw up 2027 rates.—
Julie Appleby,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
The Home Depot results echo early spring spending data that suggests consumers are still holding up all right — but not evenly.—
Allie Canal,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Electric propulsion also enables Blitz to have a low acoustic as well as infra-red signature, delaying detection.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
-
Temporarily delaying action on a state law that would open the door for a lot of homes to be built across the city.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But a slowing economy and crisis-battered housing market could upend that.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
That means no overheating and no bulky feel slowing you down on a packed schedule.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
And moviegoers turned out to indies from Rosemead to The Chronology of Water, All That’s Left Of You and more, new and holding over, limited, wide and top ten.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
-
MicroStrategy remains the leader among corporate crypto treasuries, holding over 638,000 bitcoins valued at an astonishing $71 billion.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The legality of detaining civil immigration detainees at Guantanamo is still being litigated.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
Videos circulating on social media show what appear to be law enforcement agents wearing bulletproof vests walking into Williams’ venue and detaining him.—
Natalia Jaramillo,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Setting back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setting%20back. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
