set back

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To delay or obstruct.
   • I expect it will set us back by a day or so, but I think a side trip will be worthwhile.
   • Having the mindset that you "can't" reach your goals is only going to set you back.
2. (transitive) To remove from or allow distance.
   • Set it back from the road by twenty or thirty feet.
   • Roads from Machynlleth, Dolgellau and Welshpool meet at Mallwyd, but this tiny village is set back from passing traffic and retains its atmosphere of charm and tranquillity.1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 273, about Mallwyd
3. (transitive) To install or position behind a boundary or surface, or in a recess.
   • The statue was set back in a niche.
4. (idiomatic, transitive) To cost money.
   • How much do you suppose that fancy dress set her back?
   • When you shoot an animal in Mozambique, as in many African countries, you must pay a predetermined sum. Stones offers the menu on his website: impalas ($600) and warthogs ($700) are the bargain basement. He could arrange for you to shoot a crocodile or even a hippopotamus, if you so wish, for a...2026 April 21, Cal Flyn, “On the trail with the hunters who believe shooting big game can save Africa’s wildlife”, in The Guardian
5. To reverse, go backwards.
   • Before the platforms were extended up to the actual junction, branch trains had to set back into a bay.1939 December, John D. Hewitt, “Some Notable British Main Lines: II. Salisbury and Exeter, S.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 412