retard
verb (used with object)
to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede.
was retarding
-
past progressiveof retard.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
I was obliged to do it myself, for the sail had filled aback, and it was retarding the progress of the raft.
From Down The River Buck Bradford and His Tyrants by Oliver Optic
The very orphan boys forgot that this prolongation of the service was retarding their breakfasts indefinitely.
From The King of Schnorrers Grotesques and Fantasies by Israel Zangwill
She knew that it was not so much physical as mental suffering which was retarding the girl’s progress, and yearned over her with a sympathy that was almost maternal in its depth.
From Big Game A Story for Girls by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
The absence of routine, and naught else, was retarding his recovery.
From Mr. Prohack by Arnold Bennett
It was not the difficulty of drawing from the cast before her, but the difficulty of drawing at all, which was retarding her progress.
From Hide and Seek by Wilkie Collins
