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to impede

to impede

59 6.5
To slow the progress or movement of people and things
  • verb
  • /ɪmˈpiːd/
: impedir
  • Heavy traffic often impedes the movement of emergency vehicles during a crisis.
  • impede progress
  • impede development
  • impede the flow

It's this kind of stuff that impedes healing for survivors.

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Examples

  • This in no way impedes my ability to do my job.

  • So the question is, why didn't that mistake impede Conrad Lawrence?

  • At their worst, they impede clear communication.

  • You may use your right arm as long as it does not impede on our progress with your left arm.

  • If you impede me in any way at all, I'll be reading you your rights.

  • The promise of this agency was to investigate, infiltrate, and impede criminal activity.

  • It's this kind of stuff that impedes healing for survivors.

  • What climate scientists worry about is now that an increase in global temperature could impede this overturning circulation in the Atlantic Ocean.

  • While this did not impede Chinese progress too much, such harrying attacks must have inflicted casualties.

  • You don't have to move a lot to seriously impede a strong touch typist's ability to get anything done on a keyboard.

Synonyms

to block
vsto impede
989 3.0

To stop movement, access, or progress

delays or slows progress instead of necessarily fully stopping it
to get in the way
vsto impede
235 3.3

To stop or slow something from happening

delays or prevents progress rather than simply causing minor interference
to halt
vsto impede
178 2.4

To stop moving or make something stop moving

delays or slows progress rather than necessarily causing an immediate full stop
151 3.4

Stop someone from reaching their goal

delays or hinders movement or progress generally rather than focusing on aims
to hold back
vsto impede
141 3.2

Stop someone or something from moving forward

delays or prevents movement rather than always causing a full stop
to obstruct
vsto impede
89 5.1

To block a path or view

delays or hinders progress rather than always creating a physical barrier
to thwart
vsto impede
77 7.4

To stop someone from doing what they want

delays or hinders progress without implying active opposition
to hinder
vsto impede
75 3.6

To make it difficult for people or things to do something

delays or prevents progress rather than describing specific obstruction methods
to clog
vsto impede
52 3.2

To block a pipe or passage so flow stops

delays or hinders general progress rather than only affecting flow
to inhibit
vsto impede
51 5.4

Stop or make something less likely to happen

delays or prevents progress directly instead of only lowering chances
to hamper
vsto impede
47 4.2

To make it harder for someone or something to move forward

delays or prevents progress but with no emphasis on reducing ability
to clog up
vsto impede
22 3.7

To block a drain or road so things cannot move through it

delays or hinders progress generally rather than specifically creating a physical blockage
to check
vsto impede
20 3.7

Stop something from growing or spreading

delays or prevents progress rather than merely limiting its scope
to frustrate
vsto impede
19 3.6

Stop someone from doing something they planned to do

delays or prevents general progress rather than targeting goals specifically
to stymy
vsto impede
17 8.7

To stop someone from making progress toward a goal

delays or hinders progress generally rather than specifically denying success
to retard
vsto impede
14 8.4

To make something happen more slowly

delays or prevents progress but may not imply complete stoppage
to block up
vsto impede
8 3.8

To stop movement through a road, pipe, or path

delays or hinders movement rather than always causing total obstruction
to stymie
vsto impede
5 8.0

To stop or slow progress

delays or makes progress difficult rather than always fully blocking it
to bottleneck
vsto impede
2 6.0

To become narrow and slow progress

delays or obstructs progress broadly rather than naming a local restriction
1 5.6

To stop someone on purpose from doing what they planned

delays or prevents progress in general rather than specifically targeting plans
to derail a plan
vsto impede
1 5.2

Cause a plan to fail or stop moving forward

delays or hinders general movement rather than mainly ruining plans

Antonyms

to facilitate
  • Formal
168 4.9

To make a task or process easier and help it happen

38 1.8

Help given to someone to make a task easier

How Obstructive

to prevent
∞ 2.3
to block
989 3.0
to impede
59 6.5
to hinder
75 3.6
to delay
442 1.4
to slow
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

impede infinitive
impeded past
impeded past participle
impeding present participle
impedes third person singular

Etymology

Impede comes from Latin parts in- 'in' and ped- 'foot', the same root as pedal. Imagine putting a foot in front of someone to stop them walking, so to impede something is to 'slow or block' its movement.