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
-
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
-
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:
On the north and west sides of the blaze, bulldozers and ground crews built defensive lines to impede the fire’s spread.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Cassidy also said he was reluctant to impede the department's work fighting violent crime.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Any delays or setbacks to Starship could impede planned growth across SpaceX’s businesses, analysts say, and those represent a very real possibility.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Prosecutors say the defendants were part of an organized effort to impede immigration enforcement officers in the Twin Cities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
He was half tempted to go pick it for Trina, but he knew she’d scold him within an inch of his life if he dared impede the progress of the forest.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
This impedes renters’ ability to save and build wealth, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
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
Carvalho has called for limits on immigration enforcement near schools, saying it impedes student learning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025
It directly impedes the accurate compilation of labor data, a charge mandated by the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, as well as by the Fair Labor Standards Act.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2025
Nothing impedes tuition like fear; and fear in the animal creation is the offspring of pain.
From Riding Recollections, 5th ed. by G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville
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
He said this could come in the form of a prolonged period of still, cloudy weather which impeded the generation of wind and solar power, or hostility from "foreign threat actors".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
But the hill was treacherously steep; he was impeded by the snow and his own lack of strength.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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
Over the years, the number of cars parking near the bridge — often illegally, sometimes impeding emergency vehicles — has risen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
In the Congo, deep distrust and superstition are impeding efforts to contain Ebola.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
He stood in front of the door, impeding Juanita’s progress.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
