Definition of STYMIE

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

These injunctions used to be a rarity, but judges know that appeals can take months to get to the Supreme Court and in the meantime the executive branch is stymied. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Chief Justice and the President," 27 Dec. 2018 For a decade, legal challenges and economic forces stymied the effort to redevelop Fort Lawton in Magnolia. — Daniel Beekman, The Seattle Times, "After long delays, Seattle mayor will advance $90 million plan for low-income housing at Fort Lawton," 4 Feb. 2019 The program hasn't been completely stymied, though. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "The TSA Is Scaling Back a Controversial Program That Monitored Everyday People," 18 Dec. 2018 Lee-Sheng and Roberts, along with Councilman Ricky Templet, form a council faction that at times stymies Yenni administration initiatives. — Drew Broach, NOLA.com, "Mike Yenni defends Jefferson Housing Authority appointment, questions 2012 dismissal," 8 May 2018 The key will be holding off the Eagles’ pass rush and keeping Brady from facing up-the-middle pressure, which has stymied him at times in the past. — Marc Narducci, Philly.com, "Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels looking for grand finale against the Eagles," 31 Jan. 2018 Tech firms have been stymied in efforts to get federal agencies to provide the kinds of assistance that can only come from officials who have access to sensitive national security information, according to people familiar with the matter. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Congress is getting better at questioning social media executives," 6 Sep. 2018 Proposals to change the law have been stymied by debate about when a fetus can legally be considered a human being. — Fox News, "The Latest: Lawyer says girls' bodies were submerged in oil," 17 Aug. 2018 Efforts to extend federal OSHA protection to all public employees have been stymied time after time. — Mike Hendricks, kansascity, "Firefighters protect us. Who protects them?," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stymie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.