stymie

verb

sty·​mie ˈstī-mē 

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.

Synonyms of stymie

• impede
• hinder
• hamper
• embarrass
• obstruct

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

In the Atlantic, that means there is more wind shear and air that pushes downward, both of which stymie cyclone development. — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026

The sweeping Senate proposal unveiled Wednesday afternoon by leaders of key energy and environmental committees would rewrite project review rules and speed up legal challenges that consistently stymie large energy and transportation projects. — Evan Halper, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, and its history of dictatorship, political upheaval and foreign intervention has long stymied the consolidation of democratic rule. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

The initiative tackles one of the industry’s biggest hurdles — scaling lower-impact materials and manufacturing — by aggregating demand instead of relying on isolated, brand-by-brand efforts that have stymied progress. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Scots stimie, stymie "to obstruct a golf shot by interposition of the opponent's ball," from stimie, noun, "shot that places a ball between an opponent's ball and the hole," of obscure origin

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stymie

• grimy
• slimy

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Kids Definition

stymie

verb

sty·​mie ˈstī-mē 

stymied; stymieing

: to present an obstacle to : stand in the way of

an unexpected snowstorm stymied travelers' plans