student asking question

What does "set back" mean? How is it different from postpone?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To "set back" as a verb means to slow down the progress of something. It is the same thing as "delay" and similar to "postpone", although often "postpone" means to "set back" the progress of something on purpose or by choice, while "set back" is not by choice. Ex: The failing grade will set back my graduation by another semester.

Popular Q&As

04/19

Complete the expression with a quiz!