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

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

Despite Lai’s support for a hefty increase in military spending, partly due to the urgings of the Trump administration, the Legislative Yuan, dominated by the opposition, has stonewalled the request and in fact voted in January to freeze the defense budget by billions of dollars. —Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

In relationships, psychologist John Gottman identified stonewalling as one of the four most toxic behaviors that predict divorce. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025

Noun

Senay built the home a covered bridge and stone walls to feature the waterfall. —Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 30 July 2025

One of the most intriguing museums in America is located down a narrow road, behind a stone wall, hidden by hills. —Air Mail, 26 July 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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