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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
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
These ancient scrolls are too fragile to unfurl, stymieing scholars’ attempts over the past few centuries to complete translations of the texts within.
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Leigh Anne Miller,
ARTnews.com,
30 June 2026
The 6-foot-4 muscleman’s career rise often was stymied by his poor defense.
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Chuck Murr,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Other people emphasize the rules and regulations slowing down diffusion and stymieing change.
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Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
29 June 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 2 Jul. 2026.
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stymie
verb
