impede
gb/ɪmpˈid/ us/ɪmpˈid/
C1
English
~ 8600
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C1
action
1
to slow or block progress
To slow down or block the movement or progress of someone or something.
Usage pattern:
[someone]/[something] impedes [something] or impedes [someone] from doing [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "impede" with "prevent." "Impede" means to slow or make something difficult, but it may still happen. "Prevent" means to stop something from happening completely. Also, learners may say "impede to do something"; the correct patterns are "impede something" (e.g., "impede progress") or "impede someone from doing something" (e.g., "impede them from leaving").
Synonyms
hinder (Very close in meaning but slightly more common and a bit less formal than "impede".)
|
obstruct (Emphasizes blocking the way, especially physically, more than slowing generally.)
|
hamper (Suggests restricting or limiting activity, often by adding difficulties rather than a direct block.)
|
delay (Focuses on causing something to happen later, without always suggesting a physical block.)
Antonyms
facilitate (Means to make an action or process easier, the opposite of making it harder.)
|
enable (Means to make something possible or easier instead of slowing or blocking it.)
Collocations
impede progress
|impede growth
|impede development
|impede access
|impede movement
|impede an investigation
Themes
work
|politics
|law
|transportation
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Heavy traffic can impede the arrival of emergency vehicles.
- New regulations may impede economic growth if they are too strict.
- Flooded roads impeded efforts to deliver food and medicine to the area.
- Poor internet connections impede students' ability to join online classes.
- Language barriers can impede effective communication between international teams.
Learner examples
- Snow on the road will impede the cars.
- The broken bridge impeded the police from reaching the village.
- Lack of money is impeding their plans to study abroad.
- Noise in the office impedes my work.
- Bad weather impeded the plane's departure.
Grammar
Dictionary form
impede
IPA
GB/ɪmpˈid/
US/ɪmpˈid/
Syllables & stress
im - pede (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (pede)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: impede
- 3rd Person Singular: impedes
- Present Participle: impeding
- Past: impeded
Word family
Forms
impedes
verb
impeding
verb
impeded
verb
Core family
impediment
noun C1
Negative and opposite forms
unimpeded
adjective
Advanced or less common
impedance
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.