impede
Americanverb (used with object)
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impedes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impeded,
past participle, past
-
impeding
present participle
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:
Egotism reigns in our modern world, and only those brave enough to stand up to it can impede its rule.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
They are required to not impede access to counsel.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
Locals also voiced concerns about how the development might impact the views of the surrounding area, increase traffic and impede access to nearby bridleways and public footpaths.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
He had willed it into existence in his characteristic way, fast and without faultfinding inspectors to impede his vision.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Kendra shoved past Seth and jerked the window shut in time to impede the entrance of a coldly beautiful woman swathed in writhing black garments.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
A leitmotif of the book is the author’s slow discovery that the internet connection she needs to pull off the single-handed race impedes her ability to enjoy fully what she’s seeing and achieving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"This in no way impedes the democratic transition," added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
This impedes renters’ ability to save and build wealth, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Ignoring those, they said, “stifles that debate and our ability to move forward as a nation,” and impedes healing.
From Salon ● May 14, 2026
Since sense of decorum no longer impedes, They hasten to shake themselves free of their weeds, And tombstones are quickly beshrouded.
From Essays in the Study of Folk-Songs (1886) by Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco
The board singled out the persistent bombing of German oil and communications facilities as a factor that impeded the resupply of the Nazi tank army.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
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
The United States said Wednesday it will delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decades-old designation that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
There was also a strange preoccupation with the weather; strange, to me, because none of them seemed to be involved in activity which might be aided or impeded by weather of any sort.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Wilbur’s group was initially concerned about parts of the bill focused on livestock compensation, but he said they were amended in a way to avoid impeding how the program operates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
“But next time, I think we’ve just got to throw through because it wasn’t impeding, but it sort of was intentional.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
He missed pole by just 0.012 seconds and raced strongly, yet impeding Piastri in qualifying and speeding in the pit lane turned a potential podium into fifth.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Most of Uminer’s books were shelved and weren’t impeding entrances and exits.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
There were too many disappearances, in all parts of the city, to investigate properly, and too many forces impeding the detection of patterns.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
