set bæk
neutral
intermediate
- Base verb:
- set
- Particle:
- back
- Separable:
- Yes
What does "set back" mean?
- To delay the progress or development of something
- To cost someone a particular amount of money (informal)
- To position something at a distance from something else
Examples
- The bad weather set back the construction by two weeks.
- That new car must have set you back quite a bit!
- The house is set back from the road.
- The scandal set back his career considerably.
- How much did that renovation set you back?
How to use it
'Setback' (noun) is a problem that delays progress. 'Set you back' for money is casual and slightly humorous. Very common in both contexts.
Word order
For delaying: separable ('set the project back'). For cost: 'set someone back' + amount. For position: often passive ('is set back from').
Similar expressions
delay
hinder
cost
position
Opposites
advance
accelerate
help
Related phrasal verbs
- set up
To establish or start something (business, organization, system)
- set off
To begin a journey
- set out
To start a journey or begin doing something
- set aside
To save or reserve something for a particular purpose
- set down
To put something down carefully
- set in
To begin and seem likely to continue (usually something unpleasant)
Use it in a practice answer
Try "set back" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.