Definition

To deliberately or unintentionally slow down, obstruct, or block progress. In political and legal contexts, it's often a deliberate tactic to prevent something from moving forward.

Example Usage

Lawmakers accused the administration of impeding the investigation by withholding subpoenaed documents.

Source: Merriam-Webster via Free Dictionary API

Related Terms

Beginner

turnout

The number of people who actually show up to vote, which politicians obsess over because it directly correlates to their job security. High turnout means your preferred voters actually got off the couch.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

vote bank

A loyal bloc of voters who consistently support a particular party or candidate based on shared identity, interests, or demographics, essentially treating democracy like a savings account. Politicians court these groups shamelessly, knowing the returns are predictable.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Advanced

anarchist

Someone who rejects hierarchy and authority structures, promoting self-governance without centralized power—basically the one who always asks 'but why do we need permission?' in the zoning board meeting.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

shadow cabinet

In parliamentary systems, the opposition party's team of designated critics for each government ministry, waiting in the wings like understudies who openly hope the lead actors fail. They provide alternative policy and attack the government's every move.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

pigeonhole

The act of a committee chair refusing to schedule consideration of a bill, letting it die through strategic neglect in a metaphorical filing cubby. It's assassination by bureaucratic inaction.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

alt-right

An amorphous internet-born political movement that rebranded far-right ideologies with memes and irony, making white nationalism and conspiracy theories palatable to a new generation of online radicals. Characterized by opposition to multiculturalism, feminism, and immigration, its adherents claim their extremism is sometimes "just trolling"—a defense mechanism as transparent as it is disturbing. Born in forums and metastasized across social media, it's proof that the internet can weaponize ideology as effectively as it spreads cat videos.

🏛️ Government / Politics

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for lack of a better term...