thwart

verb

\ ˈthwȯrt

thwarted; thwarting; thwarts

Definition of thwart

(Entry 1 of 4)

transitive verb

1a : to oppose successfully : defeat the hopes or aspirations of

b : to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle : contravene

2 : to pass through or across

thwart

adverb

\ ˈthwȯrt,

naut often ˈthȯrt\

Definition of thwart (Entry 2 of 4)

: athwart

thwart

adjective

Definition of thwart (Entry 3 of 4)

: situated or placed across something else : transverse

thwart

noun

Definition of thwart (Entry 4 of 4)

: a seat extending athwart a boat

Other Words from thwart Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about thwart

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Choose the Right Synonym for thwart

Verb

frustrate, thwart, foil, baffle, balk mean to check or defeat another's plan or block achievement of a goal. frustrate implies making vain or ineffectual all efforts however vigorous or persistent. frustrated attempts at government reform thwart suggests frustration or checking by crossing or opposing. the army thwarted his attempt at a coup foil implies checking or defeating so as to discourage further effort. foiled by her parents, he stopped trying to see her baffle implies frustration by confusing or puzzling. baffled by the maze of rules and regulations balk suggests the interposing of obstacles or hindrances. officials felt that legal restrictions had balked their efforts to control crime

Did You Know?

Verb

Thwart and its synonyms "foil" and "frustrate" all suggest checking or defeating another's plan or preventing the achievement of a goal. "Foil" implies checking or defeating so as to discourage future efforts ("foiled by her parents, he stopped trying to see her"), while "frustrate" suggests making all efforts, however vigorous or persistent, futile or ineffectual ("frustrated attempts at government reform"). "Thwart" usually indicates frustration caused by opposition ("the army thwarted an attempted coup").

Examples of thwart in a Sentence

Verb

She did all she could to thwart his plans. The army thwarted the attempt at a coup.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The move was designed to thwart organized crime groups that steal billions of dollars worth of gasoline, diesel and other refined products from pipelines each year. — Robbie Whelan, WSJ, "Fuel Crisis Hits Mexico After Pipelines Are Closed," 9 Jan. 2019 Bad-faith reviews, including some planted by beauty brands and paid influencers, can act like the obstacles that tried to thwart King Arthur and his crew. — Cheryl Wischhover, Vox, "The “best” lipstick probably won’t change your life — but the search for it can," 12 Dec. 2018 There’s also the obvious use case of using them to test and try to thwart security measures. — Dani Deahl, The Verge, "These hyper-realistic masks are being used to train facial recognition tech," 20 Nov. 2018 The new laws are meant to thwart a Trump plan to open nearly 1.7 billion acres of coastal waters to drilling. — Andrew O'reilly, Fox News, "California Gov. Brown on Trump: 'Something's got to happen to this guy...he's going to undermine America'," 19 Sep. 2018 But what if your smart home isn't smart enough to thwart thieves? — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Smart Light Bulbs Can Expose Your Home To Theft," 19 Dec. 2018 Berners-Lee is hoping to thwart the permanent layering of a non-open Web over his initial creation, which cherished accessibility. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Tim Berners-Lee Wants a 'Magna Carta' to Save the Modern Internet. He's Way Too Late.," 8 Nov. 2018 Tony Romm has an overview of platforms’ efforts to thwart voter suppression in the Washington Post; Reuters reported that Twitter has deleted more than 10,000 accounts attempting to mislead people about what day the election is on. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Four ways the internet changed the midterm elections," 7 Nov. 2018 One memo, obtained by House Republicans in their ongoing effort to thwart the Russia probe being led by Comey’s predecessor, Robert Mueller, was from Comey’s interim replacement, Andrew McCabe. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Moral anchors aweigh on Kavanaugh, Rosenstein," 24 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Germany has previously had success with American intelligence information helping thwart plots, most notably in 2007 in stopping a plan to bomb the U.S. Air Force's Ramstein Air Base in southern Germany. — David Rising, Fox News, "German teenager arrested in gay club bomb attack plan," 13 Sep. 2018 The center yoke thwart is perfectly balanced for one-person portages. — The Editors, Outside Online, "REI Is Having an Huge Sale on Water Sports Gear," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thwart.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.