thwart
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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a seat across a boat, especially one used by a rower.
-
a transverse member spreading the gunwales of a canoe or the like.
adjective
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passing or lying crosswise or across; cross; transverse.
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perverse; obstinate.
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adverse; unfavorable.
preposition
verb
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to oppose successfully or prevent; frustrate
they thwarted the plan
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obsolete to be or move across
noun
adjective
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passing or being situated across
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archaic perverse or stubborn
preposition
Synonym Usage
Thwart, frustrate, baffle imply preventing one, more or less completely, from accomplishing a purpose. Thwart and frustrate apply to purposes, actions, plans, etc., baffle, to the psychological state of the person thwarted. Thwart suggests stopping one by opposing, blocking, or in some way running counter to one's efforts. Frustrate implies rendering all attempts or efforts useless or ineffectual, so that nothing ever comes of them. Baffle suggests causing defeat by confusing, puzzling, or perplexing, so that a situation seems too hard a problem to understand or solve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has thwartedperfect 3rd person singular
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have thwartedperfect
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are thwartingprogressive
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has been thwartingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am thwartingprogressive 1st person singular
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is thwartingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
thwartingparticiple
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have been thwartingperfect progressive
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thwartssingular 3rd person
Past
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had thwartedperfect
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was thwartingprogressive singular
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had been thwartingperfect progressive
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were thwartingprogressive plural
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thwartedparticiple
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thwartedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of thwart
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English thwert (adverb), from Old Norse thvert “across,” neuter of thverr “transverse”; cognate with Old English thweorh “crooked, cross,” Gothic thwairhs “cross, angry”
Explanation
A villain's worst nightmare is the superhero who always seems to thwart his efforts, preventing him from carrying out his plans to take over the world. Thwart is a word you'll hear in a lot of action movies, and usually it's the hero who is trying to thwart the evil plan of some super-villain. Yet even mere mortals can be thwarted in their efforts; the word simply means to prevent someone from carrying out his or her plans. An aggressive driver can thwart your attempt to snag a parking space at a crowded mall by pulling into the space before you. An aggressive shopper at that same mall can thwart your efforts to buy the last Dancing Snoopy doll by grabbing it off the shelf first.
Vocabulary lists containing thwart
Dissed List: Breakup Words for Valentine's Day
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Animal Farm
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Romeo and Juliet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Thwart them one way and they will find another.
From The New Yorker • Nov. 13, 2016
Related Topics: chrono trigger, fantasy rpgs, playstation, populist, snes, top 10, video games Thwart the plans of an evil global corporation and prevent an über-villain from becoming a god.
From Time • Nov. 15, 2011
He forbade them to touch them—“I have told you my will! Thwart it at your peril, for I am guided by the ancestral spirits.”
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Prickett tells only: "Thwart of Sheppey, our Master sent Master Colbert back to the owners with his letter."
From Henry Hudson A Brief Statement of His Aims and His Achievements by Janvier, Thomas A. (Thomas Allibone)
Thwart them in their maraudings and they will fling you aside, as the barons have pulled down every king that dared oppose them.
From Chivalry by Cabell, James Branch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
