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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
Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration has upended funding for projects that were already underway, stymied money for new applications, and sought to reduce how much recipients can spend on overhead expenses.
—Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
Today, a gap remains between executives who manage complexity well and those who are stymied by it.
—Stephen Wilson, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Markets around the world had tumbled earlier in the day over concerns about how Trump’s sweeping tariffs might upend the global economy and stymie economic growth.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stymie
Cite this Entry
“Stymie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stymie. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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stymie
verb
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