Hamper 的意思是通過系緊或纏住而妨礙：
A suit and an overcoat hampered the efforts of the accident victim to swim to safety.
套裝和大衣阻礙了事故受害者遊到安全地帶的努力。
She was hampered by ill health in building up her business. To impede is to slow by making action or movement difficult:
她糟糕的健康狀況妨礙她建立自己的事業。 Impede 的意思是通過使活動、行動發生困難而延緩發展：
“Sentiment and eloquence serve only to impede the pursuit of truth” (Macaulay).
“感情用事和誇誇其談只能阻礙對真理的追求” （麥考利）。
Block 表示完全阻擋了進程、通道或行動：
A huge snowdrift is blocking the entrance to the driveway.
大雪堆阻塞了汽車專用道的入口。
“Do not block the way of inquiry” (Charles S. Peirce).
“不要妨礙詢問” （查爾斯·S·派爾斯）。
Dam suggests obstruction of the flow, progress, or release of something, such as water or emotion:
Dam 表示阻止某物的流動、進程或釋放（如水或感情）：
dammed the brook to form a swimming pool;
擋住小溪來建壹個遊泳池；