Definition of THWARTS

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

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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 Daryl Watts, who is the top women’s scorer in the country with 10 goals and 19 assists, stepped up for the Badgers but Scobee thwarted her shot. — Dave Wright, Twin Cities, "Women’s hockey: No. 2 Gophers pull out 3-2 shootout victory over No. 1 Badgers," 3 Nov. 2019 Company cronies initially thwarted attempts at oversight in London, but a government bailout in 1772 following the Bengal Famine and the collapse of Ayr Bank confirmed the crown’s interest in the company, which had now become Too Big to Fail. — Iain Murray, National Review, "The Rise of the East India Company Is Not a Cautionary Tale about Corporate Power," 2 Nov. 2019 Your daughter might have wanted to spend the night with her boyfriend in his room; your intervention thwarted this. — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, "Wonderful guy mismanages his anger," 18 Oct. 2019 Ostensibly installed to deter and thwart intruders, many actually can be transformed into an arsenal that hackers use for Web warfare. — Robert Hackett, Fortune, "‘Security’ Cameras Are Dry Powder for Hackers. Here’s Why," 19 Sep. 2019 Nate Brooks, cornerback Moved up to second string because of the situations involving Alford and Peterson, Brooks thwarted a Broncos’ second-quarter drive with an interception of a Hogan pass. — Bob Mcmanaman, azcentral, "Several Arizona Cardinals will hope to avoid the cut man as NFL rosters trim to 53," 29 Aug. 2019 In Schulz, no one wins and everyone is thwarted, not only in love but also on the baseball field or in the classroom or, where Snoopy is concerned, in the skies over World War I battlefields. — Bruce Handy, The Atlantic, "The Peanuts Characters Aren’t Ordinary Kids," 29 Aug. 2019 The latter feature may thwart websites wishing to detect whether a browser has visited the site before, a tactic used to prevent users from reading protected content without logging in or subscribing. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Google's Chrome 76 arrives, blocking Flash in its entirety and stealthing incognito mode," 30 July 2019 Johnson sent British lawmakers home until Oct. 14, a drastic move that gives him a respite from rebellious lawmakers determined to thwart his Brexit plan. — Washington Post, "Noise but no breakthrough as Johnson, Juncker talk Brexit," 18 Sep. 2019 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.