set back

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.

Again, Iran’s missile program was said to have been set back by years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The negative regulatory news has set back the company’s commercial ambitions and erased the stock’s earlier gains.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

In Los Angeles, he immediately confronted a school district in which many students had long struggled to achieve and were further set back, academically and emotionally, by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

However, the damage did significantly set back Iran’s program, perhaps by a few years.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026

Before Liberation only the wealthiest had lived here, in grand mansions set back from the street behind sturdy walls.

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang