set back
verb
set back is a verb meaning “To delay or obstruct” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled S-E-T-B-A-C-K.
What does set back mean?
verb
- 1
To delay or obstruct.
I expect it will set us back by a day or so, but I think a side trip will be worthwhile.
- 2
To remove from or allow distance.
Set it back from the road by twenty or thirty feet.
- 3
To install or position behind a boundary or surface, or in a recess.
The statue was set back in a niche.
- 4
To cost money.
How much do you suppose that fancy dress set her back?
- 5
To reverse, go backwards.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you pronounce set back?
- Australia
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-set_back.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of set back
- sets back present, singular, he/she/it
- setting back participle, present
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Words people confuse with set back
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: setback (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Set back in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | retarder , coûter |
| Spanish | retrotraer |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.