v. 1
To make difficult to accomplish; to act as an obstacle; to frustrate.
A drought hinders the growth of plants.
v. 2
To delay or impede; to keep back, to prevent.
She hindered a man from committing suicide.
n. 1
The buttocks.

Related words

Word family: hinderance hindersome hindrance

Forms

Plural: hinders → slow-downs, hold-ups…
Past participle: hindered
e.g. hindered → impeded, obstructed, hampered, inhibited…

Choose the right word

or Hinder?

To hinder is to keep from action, progress, motion, or growth, or to make such action, progress, motion, or growth later in beginning or completion than it would otherwise have been.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

inhibit He noticed that this drug seemed to inhibit bacterial growth.
hamper Put your dirty laundry in the hamper, not on the floor.
impede He has tried to impede an official investigation.
obstruct Pass on, please, and do not obstruct the way.
prevent Eating healthfully can help prevent heart disease.
frustrate Tom secretly attempted to frustrate Mary's plans.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
hinder		steady
inhibit		steady
hamper		steady
impede		steady
obstruct		falling
prevent		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: stop¹, stay¹, slow¹, foil¹, balk¹
5 letters: block¹, delay², deter², avert², baulk
6 letters: resist², oppose², retard², hamper², detain², impede², thwart¹, stifle², impair², baffle², stymie²
7 letters: prevent², inhibit³
8 letters: handicap³, prohibit³, restrain², obstruct², preclude², encumber³
9 letters: interfere³, embarrass³, frustrate², forestall²
10 letters: counteract³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (delay² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: entraver
Italiano: intralciare
Español: trabar
Català: travar