Set back
2 meanings · select one to explore
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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To cost someone a certain amount of money (informal)
Example sentence
That new laptop set me back about $2,000.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
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Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
Common pattern: set + someone + back + amount
set me back (a lot)
set you back (a few hundred dollars)
set someone back thousands
how much did it set you back
it'll set you back
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
The repairs set me back five hundred dollars. ✅ (Correct — often separated with a pronoun object)
The repairs set back me five hundred dollars. ❌ (Incorrect — pronoun objects must be separated)
Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To delay or slow down someone's progress
Example sentence
The storm set the project back by two weeks.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
Common pattern: set + someone/something + back (+ time)
set someone back
set the project back
set us back a week
set progress back
set back by two weeks
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
The delay set us back a week. ✅ (Correct — often separated with a pronoun object)
The delay set back us a week. ❌ (Incorrect — pronoun objects must be separated)