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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
Justin Spike, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
And repeatedly, those efforts were stymied.
—Michael Tedder, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2026
The Cubs bats were stymied for much of the afternoon by Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft, who struck out a career-high nine batters.
—Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2026
Burleson Centennial shuts out Joshua Burleson Centennial Addison McCroskey stymied Joshua to power her squad to a 1-0 victory Friday.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stymie
Cite this Entry
“Stymie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stymie. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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stymie
verb
