Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

impede

/ɪmˈpiːd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.14 in modern English

Syllables: im-pede
IPA: /ɪmˈpiːd/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To get in the way of; to hinder.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"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."
"“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?”"
"The human-machine imbalance made Sellers concerned that the modern thirst for AI-powered optimization was starting to impede human interaction."

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.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *ped-, impediō

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

impedes (present, singular) impeding (participle, present) impeded (participle, past) impeded (past)

Derived Forms

disimpede impedance impeder impedible unimpeded

Frequently Paired Words

expede expedite impediment

Synonyms

hinder obstruct obturate occlude jam block close up

Antonyms

assist help expede expedite

Rhymes With

need speed agreed indeed feed we'd seed succeed guaranteed weed she'd proceed

Questions

How do you pronounce impede?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪmˈpiːd/.
What does impede mean?: To get in the way of; to hinder.
Where does impede come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce impede

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