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

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recess appointment

When the president appoints officials while Congress is in recess, bypassing the normal confirmation process. A constitutional loophole that lets executives do an end-run around legislative obstruction.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

Mandate

What every politician claims to have after winning an election, even if they won by twelve votes and a recount. It's essentially saying "the people have spoken" while ignoring that half the people said something completely different.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

Congressional Recess

The period when Congress takes a break from not getting things done in Washington to not get things done in their home districts. It's like summer vacation but for adults who technically never finished their homework.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Beginner

Talking Points

Pre-approved sentences that politicians repeat verbatim on every news show, making them sound like slightly more articulate parrots. They're the political equivalent of a student who memorized one paragraph and hopes the essay question matches.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Beginner

Veto

The president's ultimate "nope" button that kills a bill faster than a plot twist in a soap opera. It's the most powerful single word in American government, narrowly beating "recess" and "adjourn."

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

Referendum

When the government says "we can't decide, so you deal with it" and lets citizens vote directly on an issue. It's democracy's version of asking the audience, and just like on game shows, the audience doesn't always get it right.

🏛️ Government / Politics

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Intermediate

Boil the Ocean

Attempting something absurdly ambitious and fundamentally impossible, like trying to get everyone in accounting to agree...