stymie

verb

sty·mie ˈstī-mē

stymied; stymieing

Synonyms of stymie next

transitive verb

: to present an obstacle to : stand in the way of

stymied by red tape

Did you know?

Golf was being played in Scotland as early as the 15th century, but it wasn't until the 19th century that the sport really caught on in England and North America. It was also in the 19th century that the word stymie entered English as a noun referring to a golfing situation in which one player's ball lies between another ball and the hole on the putting green, thereby blocking the line of play. Later, stymie came to be used as a verb meaning "to bring into the position of, or impede by, a stymie." By the early 20th century, the verb was being applied in similarly vexing non-golf contexts.

Examples of stymie in a Sentence

Progress on the project has been stymied by lack of money. the raging blizzard stymied the rescuers' attempts to find the stranded mountain climbers

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

To many observers’ surprise, a prickly challenge that stymied city leaders a year ago ended in harmony, with a settlement seemingly favorable both to the city and to the elderly residents of Baldwin House. —

Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024 From mass deportations to corporate tax cuts: Trump's agenda on the line Which side prevails will be the difference between a House that advances Trump's agenda or one that stymies him at every turn. —

Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 10 Nov. 2024 These sanctions stymied Huawei’s telecommunications and consumer electronics business, forcing it to suspend products and spin off parts of the company to stay alive. —

Alena Botros, Fortune Asia, 1 Nov. 2024 Faced with a probable Republican Senate and a thin majority in the House, she will likely be stymied from passing any substantive legislation. —

Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stymie