verb
impede
ihm-PEED
verb
1
To slow down or get in the way of progress.
"Heavy rain impeded the rescue effort."
"Outdated software was impeding the team's productivity."
How to Use Impede
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo slow something down or make it harder to proceed.
Common pairings
impede progress
impede growth
Word Forms
impeded past tense, impedes singular
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Heavy rain _____ the rescue effort.
Etymology
From Latin impedire, "to shackle the feet" — from pes, "foot" (compare pedestrian). One of its earliest recorded uses in English is in Shakespeare's Macbeth.