B2idiominformalmoneyIELTS-friendly
set someone back
USUK
to cost someone a particular amount of money, usually a lot
Informal. The person goes between 'set' and 'back', and the amount comes after. It has a non-money sense too: 'the injury set him back months'.
In context
That new phone must have set you back at least twenty million dong.
Fixing the roof after the storm set us back more than we expected.
More idioms about money
- a cash cowa product or business that steadily makes a lot of money
- a false economya way of saving money that ends up costing more later
- a gold minea business or thing that makes a lot of money, or a rich source of something
- a golden handshakea large sum of money paid to someone when they leave a job
- a money pitsomething, often a house or car, that costs you much more money than it is worth