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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
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025
These familiar, turbulent morasses of swirling droplets continue to stymie scientists.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Jensen helped stymie a red-hot Phillies lineup.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
The limitations placed on these researchers is disrupting NASA’s work and could stymie the careers of younger Chinese researchers who came to the US to advance their scientific work, as well as benefit the space agency through their findings, the sources said.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Stymie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stymie. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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stymie
verb
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