Definition of IMPEDE

Choose the Right Synonym for impede

hinder, impede, obstruct, block mean to interfere with the activity or progress of. hinder stresses causing harmful or annoying delay or interference with progress. rain hindered the climb impede implies making forward progress difficult by clogging, hampering, or fettering. tight clothing that impedes movement obstruct implies interfering with something in motion or in progress by the sometimes intentional placing of obstacles in the way. the view was obstructed by billboards block implies complete obstruction to passage or progress. a landslide blocked the road

Examples of impede in a Sentence

He claims that economic growth is being impeded by government regulations. The soldiers could not impede the enemy's advance.

Recent Examples on the Web Some experts worry that Africa so far has lacked the ability to test widely enough, especially in hard-to-reach rural areas, and that its case counts therefore don't reflect reality and impede tracking the virus. — Jamey Keaten, Star Tribune, "WHO Africa: New rapid tests a 'game changer' against COVID," 22 Oct. 2020 Manufacturers benefit from government military spending as well as enormous economies of scale that require large upfront investments and impede entrants. — Jon Sindreu, WSJ, "The Aircraft Trade War Makes Even Less Sense in 2020," 19 Oct. 2020 Observers who impede or disrupt an election can be removed. — Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, "Trump told supporters to watch the polls. What does a poll observer actually do?," 13 Oct. 2020 That change in control could impede the investigation and complicate any U.S. efforts to seize the assets, the people said. — David Voreacos, Bloomberg.com, "Tech Mogul’s Secrecy Crumbles in IRS Chase of ‘Record’ Trove," 2 Oct. 2020 Too much information too early can overload a young pitcher and impede growth. — Evan Grant, Dallas News, "Lance Lynn isn’t a renowned lecturer, but plenty of young Rangers are taking notes," 4 Sep. 2020 Mulcahy added, however, that solicitors are not permitted to create a safety risk or impede traffic. — Ed Wittenberg, cleveland, "Orange residents asked to watch out for solicitors on public roads," 7 Aug. 2020 Michigan lawmakers responded swiftly Thursday on social media to U.S. Justice Department reports that a militia group had plans to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and blow up a Michigan bridge in order to impede police response. — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan lawmakers react on Twitter to kidnap plot: 'This is utterly terrifying'," 8 Oct. 2020 There are techniques intended to both diagnose and treat some of the imbalances and dysfunctions that may impede the body's physiology and its ability to regulate and heal. — Algernon D'ammassa, USA TODAY, "Trump's doctor may be the first osteopath to serve as presidential physician," 6 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impede.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.