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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
Editorial, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Disney‘s run to its first Super Bowl touchdown in 20 years is in danger of being stymied by some serious defense.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Access to lifesaving new technologies can be stymied when hospitals don’t get paid enough to cover their costs.
—Katie Palmer, STAT, 15 Apr. 2026
Then in August, the administration dismantled the Foreign Malign Influence Center, a branch of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that had stymied efforts by Russia, China and Iran to interfere in the 2024 election.
—Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 13 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 27 Apr. 2026.
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stymie
verb
