retard
verb (used with object)
to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede.
retarding
-
present participleof retard.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Their opposition to transportation projects and other infrastructure, though supposedly grounded in Jeffersonian principle, was a roundabout way of retarding industrial development and ensuring that slavery did not become an economic anachronism.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2025
That drove prices in Europe and Asia to all-time highs earlier this year, fanning inflationary pressure and retarding efforts by countries to switch to gas from coal to reduce pollution and carbon emissions.
From Reuters ● May 27, 2022
“The effects of withholding, delaying or retarding Golden Rice development through overcautious regulation has imposed unconscionable costs in terms of years of sight and lives lost,” Regis concludes.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 26, 2019
Only the tides exert significant retarding torques on Earth, and so it will continue to spin, although ever more slowly, for many billions of years.
From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015
Some insecticides affect sensitive plants such as beans, wheat, barley, or rye, retarding root development or depressing growth of seedlings.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
