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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"The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe
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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:
This result was especially surprising because thicker fluid would ordinarily be expected to impede movement.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
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
Low water levels in Germany caused by recent heatwaves, particularly on the River Rhine, are likely to temporarily impede the country’s economic growth, the Bundesbank said Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Cassidy also said he was reluctant to impede the department's work fighting violent crime.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The bundle rolled forward unchecked, as if the hounds did not impede it at all.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Experts have told The Times, humidity impedes the body’s ability to cool itself naturally, because the moist atmosphere doesn’t allow for sweat to evaporate as easily, causing you to continue to get warmer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 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
Alexandra Saieh, Head of Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy, says the more obstacles in place, the further it impedes the ability to offer effective humanitarian assistance and causes "a catastrophic impact on people in Gaza."
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
It sticks about their sides like treacle on a fly's wing; collecting unequally, it destroys all equilibrium, and impedes the efforts of the steersman.
From The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 3, June, 1851 by Various
In a prevention of future deaths report James Bennett, a coroner for Herefordshire, said the inability for police forces to provide round-the-clock specialist search officers was being impeded by a lack of training provision.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The loss of both circuits impeded controllers’ ability to communicate with airplanes, prompting the FAA to expand the ground stop to New York’s other two major airports, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The court ruling, issued on Monday, said ministry guidelines were already in place to ensure "unobstructed" elephant corridors, but those routes have often been impeded.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
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
I had to show the staff that I possessed native intelligence but not so great a one or of a certain kind that it impeded my sense of duty.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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
Piastri may lose his third place because he is under investigation for impeding Red Bull's Liam Lawson, which could result in a three-place grid penalty.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 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
Two separate cases of the cars impeding traffic, in 2024 and 2025, were dismissed through plea bargain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Do you feel like your thought patterns are impeding your daily life?”
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
