I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
( -s )
Etymology: set back
1. : a checking of progress
setback in steel production occurred this week
union organization received a setback
: a putting in a position less advanced than before
setback in prices
2. : defeat , reverse
military setback
diplomatic setback
baseball team's first setback of the season
3. : backset 2
4. : a card game in which points are deducted from a player's score during the play ; especially : auction pitch
5.
a. : offset 3a
b. : a withdrawal of the face of a building to a line some distance to the rear of the building line or to the rear of the wall below in order to reduce the obstruction the upper stories offer to sunlight reaching the streets and the lower stories of adjacent buildings
6. : the reaction of a mass (as a projectile) to a force producing or tending to produce acceleration (as in ballistics)
7. : a device for moving over the needles in an annunciator to the normal position after a call
II. noun
: an automatic scheduled adjustment to a lower temperature setting of a thermostat