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)

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

Aloise told reporters that after the withdrawal, the Biden administration stonewalled his office for about a year, claiming SIGAR's jurisdiction ended when the troops left Afghanistan, even though there was still money flowing to the country. —Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025

Still, when companies stonewall, escalating to executives is key. —Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

Noun

Surrounded by gardens, oak trees, and sweeping hills, the 12-room property blends ancient stone walls and timber ceilings with modern touches—furnishings by Paola Lenti and artworks by Louis Boujac, Domenica Regazzoni, and Massimiliano Poggioni among them. —Laura May Todd, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025

But, as Heather puts it, Meredith is a stone wall of denial. —Tom Smyth, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025

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
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol

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