set ‧ back /ˈsetbæk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
a problem that delays or prevents progress, or makes things worse than they were
setback for
The December elections were a major setback for the party.
The team’s hopes of playing in Europe suffered a setback last night.
⇨ set back at ↑ set 1
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ suffer a setback
The team suffered a serious setback when the goalkeeper went off injured.
▪ receive a setback
The islands’ economy had received a severe setback from the effects of hurricane Hugo.
■ adjectives
▪ a major setback
Losing our key player would be a major setback for the team.
▪ a big/serious/severe setback
This is a serious setback to the company.
▪ a minor setback (=not very bad)
It was only a minor setback.
▪ a temporary setback (=lasting only a short time)
Try not to be discouraged by temporary setbacks.
▪ an early/initial setback (=happening quite soon)
The policy has been successful, despite some early setbacks.
▪ a political/military/economic setback
The defeat represented a major political setback for the conservatives.
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THESAURUS
▪ setback a problem that stops you from making progress:
The space program suffered a major setback when the space shuttle, Discovery, exploded.
▪ snag informal a problem, especially one that you had not expected:
There’s a snag – I don’t have his number.
▪ hitch a small problem that delays or prevents something:
There have been a few last-minute hitches.
▪ trouble when something does not work in the way it should:
The plane developed engine trouble.
▪ hassle spoken a situation that is annoying because it causes problems:
Just trying to store all this stuff is a hassle.