Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To cost a specific, often significant, amount of money: To cause someone to have to pay a certain sum.
   • To delay or hinder progress or development: To cause a delay or reversal in advancement.
   • To postpone or schedule for a later time: To arrange for something to occur at a later date than originally planned.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The necessary repairs set me back nearly a thousand dollars.
  • The bad weather set back the construction project by several weeks.
  • We had to set back the meeting until everyone was available.

Advanced Usage

• "to set someone/something back": Often implies an unexpected cost, delay, or reversal.
  • The legal dispute set the company's expansion plans back by years.
  • That luxury vacation really set my savings back.

Variants and Related Words

• Setback (noun): A problem that makes progress more difficult or success less likely.
  • The loss of funding was a major setback for the research team.

Synonyms

• Cost: To require a payment of.
• Delay: To make something happen later than planned.
• Postpone: To decide that something will happen at a later time.
• Hinder: To make it difficult for something to progress.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Hold back: To prevent something or someone from advancing.
  • Injuries held back the athlete's career.
• Push back: To reschedule to a later time (similar to the "postpone" meaning).
  • They pushed back the deadline to Friday.

Related Idioms

• Put someone out of pocket: To cost someone money (related to the "cost" meaning).
  • The car repairs really put me out of pocket.
• Throw a spanner in the works: To cause an unexpected problem that delays or ruins a plan (related to the "hinder" meaning).
  • The sudden resignation of the manager threw a spanner in the works.

Verb

1. cost a certain amount
   • My daughter's wedding set me back $20,000
2. slow down the progress of; hinder
   • His late start set him back
3. hold back to a later time
   • let's postpone the exam