stymie

verb

sty·​mie ˈstī-mē How to pronounce stymie (audio)
stymied; stymieing

transitive verb

: to present an obstacle to : stand in the way of
stymied by red tape

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
How fear of immigration raids is affecting Los Angeles Altadena ICE raids spark fears that roundups will stymie rebuilding efforts after the January fires. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025 There truly are people who want to identify them and post their names online, just as there are people who will share locations of ICE movements to stymie the agents. David Weigel, semafor.com, 20 June 2025 Way back in 2018, the EU fined Google for using its Android operating system market share to stymie rivals by giving its own apps unfair advantage through pre-installation deals with mobile handset makers. Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 20 June 2025 After bombing the New York Yankees for 18 runs on Saturday, the Dodgers have been stymied by Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, the latter holding them to three hits in five scoreless innings for the Mets on Monday night in his 2025 debut. Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for stymie

Word History

Etymology

Scots stimie, stymie to obstruct a golf shot by interposition of the opponent's ball

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stymie was in 1902

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Cite this Entry

“Stymie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stymie. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

stymie

verb
sty·​mie ˈstī-mē How to pronounce stymie (audio)
stymied; stymieing
: to present an obstacle to : stand in the way of
an unexpected snowstorm stymied travelers' plans

More from Merriam-Webster on stymie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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