impede
verb/ɪmˈpiːd/
Etymology Borrowed from Latin impediō (“to shackle”), from pēs (“foot”) (compare pedestrian). First attested use as a verb was in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, see quotations.
1
To get in the way of; to hinder.
- impede someone's progress
- That I may powre my Spirits in thine Eare, / And chastise with the valour of my Tongue / All that impeides thee from the Golden Round, / Which Fate and Metaphysicall ayde doth seeme / To haue thee crown'd withall.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:
2 more examples
- “Everything had been ticking along like a fine clock, even with Bornhald impeding, until this new one appeared with his Gray Men. Ordeith scrubbed bony fingers through greasy hair. Why could not his dreams at least be his own?”1992, Robert Jordan, “Chapter 31: Assurances”, in The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time; 4), London: Orbit Books, published 2021, →ISBN, page 501:
- The human-machine imbalance made Sellers concerned that the modern thirst for AI-powered optimization was starting to impede human interaction.2025 July 2, Lisa Bonos, Danielle Abril, “No one likes meetings. They’re sending their AI note takers instead.”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, archived from the original on 02 Jul 2025:
- Synonyms
- hinder
- Related terms
- expede, expedite, impediment