stonewall

1 of 2

verb

stone·​wall ˈstōn-ˌwȯl How to pronounce stonewall (audio)
stonewalled; stonewalling; stonewalls

intransitive verb

1
chiefly British : to engage in obstructive parliamentary debate or delaying tactics
2
: to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

transitive verb

: to refuse to comply or cooperate with
stonewaller noun

stone wall

2 of 2

noun

1
: a fence made of stones
especially : one built of rough stones without mortar to enclose a field
2
: an immovable block or obstruction (as in public affairs)

Examples of stonewall in a Sentence

Verb They stonewalled until they could come up with a response. They were just stonewalling for time. They're trying to stonewall the media. We're trying to get the information, but we're being stonewalled.
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.
Verb
Melia stonewalled each San Jose penalty taker, and Sporting won the shootout. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025 That’s why the First Amendment Foundation and other public records advocates worked to help craft SB 1434 — a bill that would force agencies to stop stonewalling the public. Bobby Block, Sun Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
About 8 feet below the modern building, the team found the ruins of a stone wall, identified as part of a 13th-century bishop’s fortress. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025 Meanwhile, Prescott rode his horse over a stone wall and escaped. Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stonewall

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1880, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stonewall was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Stonewall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stonewall. Accessed 16 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on stonewall

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!