What does setback mean?
Word: Setback
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Setback means a problem that holds back your progress for a while or makes things harder than before.
How do you spell setback?
Syllables: set - back
Tricky part: Do not mix up setback with the two-word phrase set back. They look alike, so read the sentence carefully to see which one it needs.
Watch out for: setbak, setbac
Memory tip: The word ends with the click of ck, like a door shutting: c and k together, never k alone.
Setback in a sentence
Example 1: Missing the first two weeks of practice was a setback, but Arjun still made the school team.
Example 2: The cold spring was a setback for the farmers, whose seedlings grew slowly.
Example 3: Losing the opening match was only a small setback for Sofia's chess club.
Fun Fact
In buildings, a setback is also the step-like way a tall tower narrows as it rises, as seen on the Empire State Building in New York.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Choose the option that fills both blanks correctly:
1. Heavy rain was a ___ for the builders, who lost a week of work. 2. Mending the flat tyre will ___ our trip by an hour.
a) setback/set back
b) 'set back' in both
c) set back/setback
d) 'setback' in both
Show answer
a) setback/set back. Sentence 1 needs a noun naming the trouble; sentence 2 needs an action, the verb with back as a separate word.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
After an early settback, the girls' relay team trained harder and won silver at the district championships.
a) a shiny grey-white metal, or a medal made of it
b) a contest held to find the best player or team in a sport
c) a race in which each runner covers one part of the distance
d) something that stops a plan going as well as hoped, for a time
Show answer
d) something that stops a plan going as well as hoped, for a time. The misspelt word has only one t; it names the early trouble the team had to get past.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. setback 2. victory 3. arrival a. departure b. defeat c. breakthrough
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. These are opposites: a setback holds you back while a breakthrough moves you forward, a victory is the reverse of a defeat, and arriving is the reverse of leaving.
Sound Check
In which word is 'e' pronounced differently?
a) desk
b) setback
c) legal
d) method
Show answer
c) legal. Legal opens with the long 'ee' sound of see; the e in the other three is short, as in bed.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would be a setback for someone saving up for a new bicycle?
a) finding the bike in a sale
b) getting birthday money from Grandma
c) earning money by washing cars
d) losing a week's pocket money
Show answer
d) losing a week's pocket money
2. Which word could best replace setback in 'The closed bridge was a setback for the delivery van'?
a) delay
b) bonus
c) shortcut
d) reward
Show answer
a) delay
