From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishretardre‧tard1 /rɪˈtɑːd $ -ɑːrd/ verb [transitive] formalDELAY to delay the development of something, or to make something happen more slowly than expected SYN slow down Cold weather retards the growth of many plants.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
retard• This process is called retarding and it adds an interesting dimension to the bread.• The implication is that Britain's economic performance is retarded by an anti-industrial culture.• It says that the company razed forests, polluted rivers, retarded crop growth and caused birth defects.• Research from Harvard and United Nations organisations has shown that the cost of corruption includes retarded development and more inequalities.• Even in small amounts, lead can retard development in children.• The process has retarded the kind of interdisciplinary research required by complex environmental and population issues.• The inability to do so has retarded the progress of pallidotomy development for nearly 50 years.retardre‧tard2 /ˈriːtɑːd $ -ɑːrd/ noun [countable] spoken not politeSTUPID/NOT INTELLIGENTINSULT an offensive word for a stupid personOrigin retard1 (1400-1500) Latin retardare, from tardus “slow” 