Word.ws English Dictionary

set aback

set aback verb: to startle or shock; to render (someone) confused or disconcerted.

Verb

set aback (third-person singular simple present sets aback, present participle setting aback, simple past and past participle set aback)

  1. (transitive) To startle or shock; to render (someone) confused or disconcerted.

Forms of set aback

third-person singular presentsets aback
present participlesetting aback
past participleset aback
pastset aback

Origin of set aback

From set + aback.

Questions about set aback

What does set aback mean?
Set aback means to startle or shock; to render (someone) confused or disconcerted.
What part of speech is set aback?
Set aback is a verb.
What is the past tense of set aback?
The past tense of set aback is set aback.

Words near set aback in the dictionary

  1. set
  2. set a beggar on horseback and he'll ride to the Devil
  3. set a spell
  4. set a sponge
  5. set a thief to catch a thief
  6. set aback
  7. set about
  8. set adrift
  9. set afire
  10. set after
  11. set against

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: set aback (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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