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
-
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.
The litigation would seek to challenge the proposed merger on antitrust grounds, arguing it would thwart competition, lower wages and lead to widespread job losses.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
That way, goals like building an emergency fund or creating flexibility within one’s finances are easier to connect to, she said — and can also thwart the feeling of being overwhelmed.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
"These disorders manifest in current symptoms of unending, synergistic, and complex delusions that thwart a rational understanding of his imminent execution," his lawyers argued.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
A small town in Maryland has found an unconventional way to thwart Homeland Security’s national push to stand up detention centers: Snails.
From Slate • Apr. 30, 2026
But he stopped: there was a rucksack in it, under the thwart.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
