as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
tough going for the burros on the canyon trail, even without the added impediment of heavy loads
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impediment
There is no problem in America that will be solved by fewer impediments to mob rule.
—
Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
Technology that initially seemed like an asset may in fact be an impediment.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
To humanity’s great thinkers and leaders, gambling was an impediment to an ethical life (Aristotle), an invention of the devil (Saint Augustine), and a tax on the ignorant (Warren Buffett).
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Wind shear, which occurs when winds blow at different speeds and/or directions with height, acts as an impediment to fledgling tropical storms and hurricanes.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impediment
Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
Technology that initially seemed like an asset may in fact be an impediment.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
To humanity’s great thinkers and leaders, gambling was an impediment to an ethical life (Aristotle), an invention of the devil (Saint Augustine), and a tax on the ignorant (Warren Buffett).
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Wind shear, which occurs when winds blow at different speeds and/or directions with height, acts as an impediment to fledgling tropical storms and hurricanes.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impediment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impediment
Noun
-
Still, travelers may encounter obstacles obtaining their refunds.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
-
The case for and against a redo The obstacles to a redo are considerable, starting with the obvious security concerns.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Despite that fast-track status, RP1 has encountered more hurdles from the agency than was expected by Replimune Group, the company producing the drug.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
2 May 2026
-
Also, licensing hurdles in many states ban people with records from even becoming barbers or mechanics, the very trades that offer the best path to independence.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Symptoms of kidney stones include severe pain on one side of the body, fever, chills, nausea and obstruction of the kidney.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
-
Nearly a year after 10 inmates escaped a New Orleans jail through a hole in the wall, a special grand jury has indicted the local sheriff on criminal corruption and obstruction charges in connection with the biggest jailbreak in recent American history.—
Greg Hilburn,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Under Ross, that streak is now 25 years, longest in the NFL — a plain embarrassment for the only franchise (still) to have a Perfect Season.—
Greg Cote
May 7,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
-
Of those 19 games, eight of them have been the lowest home attendance marks in club history for a franchise coming off three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including a historic 119-defeat embarrassment in 2025.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Inside a New York City welfare office, WELFARE reveals the human struggles, bureaucratic barriers, and impossible choices at the heart of the social safety net.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
-
Construction crews building a barrier between the United States and Mexico damaged a 200-foot-long etching of a fish embedded in the land that is thought to be 1,000 years old, according to a report in the Washington Post.—
Andy Battaglia,
ARTnews.com,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impediment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impediment. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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