stonewall

1 of 2

verb

stone·​wall ˈstōn-ˌwȯl 

stonewalled; stonewalling; stonewalls

intransitive verb

1

chiefly British : to engage in obstructive parliamentary debate or delaying tactics

2

: to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

… because the … government chose to stonewall, reporters had few other places to turn for facts.

—William F. Allman

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)

Did you know?

The earliest English stonewalls were literal; they were walls made from stone. Because a stone wall can be difficult to surmount, English speakers began using stonewall figuratively for things or people who either were persistent and enduring or who presented an obstacle as formidable as a stone wall. (Those figurative senses earned American Confederate Civil War General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson his nickname.) Then, in the late 1800s, cricket players began using stonewall as a verb in reference to a batter's defensive blocking of balls. Around the same time, stonewall found its way into political slang as a synonym of filibuster. There is also a chiefly British sense of "to engage in obstructive parliamentary debate or delaying tactics."

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

Verb

The opponents have repeatedly called for a vote but have been utterly stonewalled. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026

Herbert melted down, getting stonewalled on a fourth-and-one keeper, fumbling away the next possession, then ending the next with an interception. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Noun

Acro Suites features a stunning reformer Pilates studio with local stone walls, light wood machines, and views of Crete’s Mononaftis Bay. — Lindsay Cohn, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026

Instead, the island became self-sufficient, with the majority of residents managing their own farmland, with the island still bearing its patchwork quilt of stone walls and boundary lines. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

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

Rhymes for stonewall

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• gossypol

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