Meaning of setback in English

setback

noun [ C ]

/ˈset.bæk/ us

/ˈset.bæk/

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something that happens that delays or prevents a process from developing:

Sally had been recovering well from her operation, but yesterday she experienced/suffered a setback.

There has been a slight/temporary setback in our plans.

Synonyms

blow 
hitch  (PROBLEM)
reversal

See also

set something/someone back

set something back

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

a problem

problemWhat's the problem here?
difficultyThe company is having some financial difficulties at the moment.
troubleWe've had a lot of trouble with the new computer system.
hitchThe ceremony went without a hitch.
glitchWe've had a few technical glitches, but I'm confident we'll be ready on time.
hurdleGetting a work permit is only the first hurdle.

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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Difficult things and people

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(Definition of setback from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

setback | American Dictionary

setback

noun [ C ]

/ˈsetˌbæk/

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something that causes delay or stops progress:

Democrats suffered a serious setback in yesterday’s election, losing all three contested seats.

(Definition of setback from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

setback | Business English

setback

noun [ C ]

/ˈsetbæk/ us

Add to word list Add to word list

something that happens that causes a delay or prevents a process from continuing:

He suffered a setback yesterday in his attempts to take a stake in the mobile phone company.

a setback to/for sth The new rule was a setback to smaller cable operators thinking of selling to other companies.

a major/serious setback

The decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for the industry.

STOCK MARKET, FINANCE

a fall in prices on a stock or financial market:

The mail order group suffered a 17p setback to 366.5p.

Small companies are less likely to be diversified so setbacks in a single sector are more likely to wipe them out.

(Definition of setback from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of setback

setback

Yet despite the initial optimism surrounding it, the commission almost immediately suffered setbacks.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

He suffers early professional setbacks but emerges triumphant by the end of the novel because he has never compromised his own individuality.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

But at the same time the suffrage campaign suffered setbacks.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Democratising the public sphere turned out to be a gradual process from within, encompassing a multitude of conflicts and setbacks.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Therefore, the manipulation of setbacks and building to building distances can directly influence social interactions.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Facing it were four divisions, three of which were downcast due to the previous successive setbacks.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Despite this setback, the reformers continued to push their case through an increasingly competitive and radical local press.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The disruption of war was just one setback.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Rather than a mere legislative setback, it marked a successful challenge of the segregationist platform and the establishment of the legal norm of racial equality.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Clientelism came under pressure, but the process suffered several setbacks due to the weakness of civic virtues and the predominance of particularism.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There is very little attention for inconsistencies, contradictions or setbacks as result of power struggles within governments\conservation bureaucracies.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

That is a tribute both to the client's perseverance over many years and setbacks and to its trust in, and encouragement of, the whole team.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Subsequent research on mechanical heart devices for persons with heart disease has seen some progress and noticeable setbacks.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

But financial support for public sector agricultural research has suffered a serious setback since the 1980s in both developed and developing countries.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Our exploration of these new techniques has not been without its setbacks.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with setback

setback

These are words often used in combination with setback.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

economic setback

The energy shortage and the massive oil price increases of 1979 and 1980 have produced a bitter economic setback for most developing countries.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

financial setback

Third, there are the difficult and sometimes controversial cases where important concerns suffer a severe financial setback.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

initial setback

After an initial setback, the export market is now improving.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

See all collocations with setback

What is the pronunciation of setback?

Translations of setback

in Chinese (Traditional)

挫折, 障礙…

Meaning of setback in English

setback | American Dictionary

setback | Business English

Examples of setback

Collocations with setback

setback

Translations of setback

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