athwart

1 of 2

preposition

ə-ˈthwȯrt How to pronounce athwart (audio)
 nautical often  -ˈthȯrt
1
: across
2
: in opposition to
a procedure directly athwart the New England prejudicesR. G. Cole

athwart

2 of 2

adverb

1
: across especially in an oblique direction
2
: in opposition to the right or expected course
and quite athwart goes all decorumWilliam Shakespeare

Examples of athwart in a Sentence

Preposition athwart the road was farmland as far as the eye could see Adverb after it enters the Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane is predicted to advance athwart to the Texas coastline we hung the twisted strips of crepe paper athwart to the floor and ceiling so that they formed giant crosses on all four walls
Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
An obstructionist Supreme Court, however, stood athwart the New Deal’s path. John Fabian Witt, The New Republic, 26 Aug. 2022 One of the world’s largest container ships was wedged athwart the Suez canal on March 24th, apparently blown off course by high winds. The Economist, 24 Mar. 2021 One of the world’s largest container ships was wedged athwart the Suez Canal on March 23rd, blown off course by high winds. The Economist, 27 Mar. 2021 The outgoing Trump administration is standing athwart a massive investment management trend. Michael Taylor, ExpressNews.com, 2 Dec. 2020 Her mother, feeling abandoned by her constantly traveling husband, had affairs; her father’s heartfelt liberalism would run athwart of the postwar Red Scare. Elsa Dixler, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Apr. 2020 Indeed, instead of ostentatious acts of helping people, the administration almost preferred being seen standing athwart attempts to provide relief. Alex Pareene, The New Republic, 20 Dec. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'athwart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Preposition

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of athwart was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near athwart

Cite this Entry

“Athwart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/athwart. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

athwart

1 of 2 preposition
ə-ˈthwȯ(ə)rt How to pronounce athwart (audio)
 nautical often  -thȯ(ə)rt
1
2
: in opposition to

athwart

2 of 2 adverb
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