impede
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See prevent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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impedernoun
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impedibilitynoun
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impedibleadjective
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unimpedingadjective
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impedinglyadverb
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unimpedinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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impedesimple
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impedessimple
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have impededperfect
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has impededperfect
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am impedingprogressive
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are impedingprogressive
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is impedingprogressive
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have been impedingperfect progressive
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has been impedingperfect progressive
Past
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impededsimple
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had impededperfect
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was impedingprogressive
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were impedingprogressive
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had been impedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of impede
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin impedīre “to entangle,” literally, “to snare the feet”; see im- 1, pedi- ( def. )
Explanation
To impede something is to delay or block its progress or movement. Carrying six heavy bags will impede your progress if you're trying to walk across town in a hurry. Impede comes from the Latin impedire which literally means "to hold the feet," formed from the prefix in-, ("in") plus pes ("foot"). Think about walking with a cast on your foot — how slow and awkward that would be. If you struggle with reading, that might impede your progress in your social studies class. An impediment is something that impedes, such as a physical defect that affects speech — a speech impediment.
Vocabulary lists containing impede
List 1
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Monster
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Experts have said that doing so can expose children to unforeseen risks such as identity theft, fraud or impede their privacy as they grow up.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
“It does not obstruct or impede lawful federal immigration enforcement operations.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
He pointed to "slowness, bureaucracy and norms that impede those who want to produce" as well as "decisions that we have put off."
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
The big risk of screwworm spreading significantly within Texas is that it could substantially impede the growth of cattle herds, Maloni said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
With nothing to impede it, Monte Alban swept out and established a domain of almost ten thousand square miles.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Johnson’s writing is luminously beautiful, her assiduous research never impedes the narrative, and the illustrations are spectacular.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
State and federal agencies don’t track data around vitamin K injection refusal or subsequent bleeding, which impedes their ability to quantify and track outcomes, including death.
From Salon ● May 7, 2026
“Decoupling seller profit from buyer satisfaction impedes economic growth and slows innovation. Buyer surplus stagnates and inflation accelerates.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026
The “culture of fear” instilled at several agencies led to “self-censorship among scientists and otherwise impedes their ability to work effectively or speak on important scientific issues,” UCS found.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025
At stated times, to get rid of this fraction, which impedes, and, if it is diffused over all the mass of our conduct, endangers us, was the object of the Children of Joy.
From Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. I (of 2) by Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
Rubli tried to push back, but her therapist framed her concerns as blind spots that impeded healing, she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Because we all know what that means: In history written by the victors, the Luddites impeded technological progress, attempted to halt innovation, and were soundly defeated by the Industrial Revolution.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
In many of the cases, Bis said, the claimants impeded or assaulted agents.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
Regarding Love's offending, Madam Justice McBride said by her guilty pleas she accepted she intentionally destroyed evidence and that she intentionally impeded her son's apprehension.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
The voice was faint and distorted, as though impeded by something like a bubble, some mucus in her throat.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Then Hamilton, after qualifying second, was dropped to fifth on the grid with a penalty for impeding Piastri.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Most of Uminer’s books were shelved and weren’t impeding entrances and exits.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Under Essayli, federal prosecutors in L.A. have aggressively charged protesters with assaulting and impeding the actions of immigration agents, filing more than 100 cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Roads around the devastated Caribbean coastal towns were clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic, impeding first responders and the heavy machinery needed to move rubble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Do you feel like your thought patterns are impeding your daily life?”
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
