hindrance

noun

hin·​drance ˈhin-drən(t)s How to pronounce hindrance (audio)
1
: the state of being interfered with, held back, or slowed down : the state of being hindered
hindrance of speech
2
: a person or thing that interferes with or slows the progress of someone or something : impediment
a hindrance to learning
3
: the act of interfering with or slowing the progress of someone or something : the action of hindering
should be allowed to live where he chooses without hindrance

Examples of hindrance in a Sentence

Is my presence here a help or a hindrance? made a survey of all the hindrances to wheelchair access, such as curbs and stairs
Recent Examples on the Web As for Booth, his odyssey takes him to various stops, including the home of friendly doctor Samuel Mudd (Matt Walsh), while his fame as an actor, even in this pre-screen era, serves as both a help and occasional hindrance to his efforts to escape. Brian Lowry, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 Avoid Being Overly Professional And Perfect Open your heart; being overly professional and perfect is old, and frankly, a hindrance to building trust. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Is working with a known premise a bigger help or hindrance in this moment? Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Feb. 2024 Recent research has shown that civil liability is a key hindrance for those who would otherwise consider storing guns for someone else. Sara Novak, Scientific American, 19 Oct. 2023 When data is an abundant resource, information overload can be a real hindrance to effective decision-making. Amit Jain, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 After faring better than most markets coming out of the pandemic, Phoenix is expected to continue its strong economic growth in 2024, with one Phoenix economist saying worries about water shortages will not be a hindrance. Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 20 Jan. 2024 According to Zuri, being the granddaughter of one of the world's most famous musicians and part of a wildly successful musical family isn’t a hindrance to the next generation of Marleys. Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 But, again, Labanc’s cap hit could be a hindrance to any move. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hindrance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see hinder entry 1

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hindrance was in 1526

Dictionary Entries Near hindrance

Cite this Entry

“Hindrance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hindrance. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hindrance

noun
hin·​drance ˈhin-drən(t)s How to pronounce hindrance (audio)
1
: the state of being hindered
2
: the action of hindering
3
: something that hinders : impediment

More from Merriam-Webster on hindrance

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