stymie
Americanverb (used with object)
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stymies,
present (3rd person singular)
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stymied,
past participle, past
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stymieing
present participle
noun
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a situation or problem presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat any attempt to deal with or resolve it.
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Golf. (on a putting green) an instance of a ball's lying on a direct line between the cup and the ball of an opponent about to putt.
verb
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to hinder or thwart
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golf to impede with a stymie
noun
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golf (formerly) a situation on the green in which an opponent's ball is blocking the line between the hole and the ball about to be played: an obstructing ball may now be lifted and replaced by a marker
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a situation of obstruction
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stymiesimple
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stymiessimple
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have stymiedperfect
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has stymiedperfect
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am stymieingprogressive
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are stymieingprogressive
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is stymieingprogressive
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have been stymieingperfect progressive
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has been stymieingperfect progressive
Past
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stymiedsimple
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had stymiedperfect
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was stymieingprogressive
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were stymieingprogressive
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had been stymieingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stymie
First recorded in 1855–60; origin uncertain
Explanation
The verb stymie means "to obstruct or hinder." Constantly texting with your friends will stymie your effort to finish your homework. Stymie was first used on the golf course in Scotland, where it referred to an opponent's ball blocking your own ball’s path to the cup. From there a verb sense developed, until finally stymie came to mean blocking with any obstacle, not just a golf ball.
Vocabulary lists containing stymie
Hatchet
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This Week in Words: February 16 - 22, 2019
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An Excerpt from "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead
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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.
See Examples For:
Wrobleski finally threw a hitless fourth, working around a leadoff walk to briefly stymie the Cubs’ offensive push.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Setting emotions aside, the timing of childbirth for older parents can stymie their earning power.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Another issue with the potential to stymie talks from the beginning is the crucial oil shipping passage the Strait of Hormuz.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
It was supposed to improve information-sharing, not stymie it.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2026
At the time she even sensed some external force upon her that was trying to stymie her recalcitrant will.
From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Steven (Steven David Justin) Sills
Europe’s lack of one big customer also stymies defense-tech newcomers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
She said: “This is a disappointing and flawed approach that stymies crucial efforts to free Jimmy Lai and fundamentally undermines the government’s official position that he must be released.”
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024
“We need to be able to break the gridlock that too often stymies progress and blocks consensus at the Council.”
From Washington Times ● Sep. 19, 2023
"Include me in that category, if it's unnecessary and inappropriate regulation that stymies innovation and technology advancements," Bucshon said.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2023
If the ball that stymies you is on the lip and your own is three yards away, it is obvious that you cannot pitch over it.
From The Complete Golfer by Harry Vardon
Interviews with victims in the hospital were brief and stymied by officials who repeatedly bounced AFP journalists between different offices to seek approval.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Potential scientific breakthroughs could be stymied: in medicine, agriculture and even climate change adaptation.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
As Stahle sees it, stymied job seekers are showing in the numbers.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Yet again, they found their voices stymied, their input limited to Post-it notes.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
But she was stymied when she tried to recall the urgency of that moment, the grain of the feeling that possessed her.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Google plans to spend $4.75 billion to help solve a problem stymieing the AI race: finding enough electricity to run an ever-larger fleet of data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
Second, at all levels of government, we must loosen regulations that are stymieing the construction and preservation of affordable homes.
From Slate ● Feb. 17, 2025
District Judge Dana Sabraw approved a settlement between the American Civil Liberties Union and the federal government blocking for eight years the federal government from separating families for purposes of stymieing immigration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2024
Georgia is also one of a group of states that outlaw direct sales of vehicles — stymieing companies like Tesla and Rivian that don’t sell their vehicles through dealerships.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 17, 2023
The companies also complained that bureaucratic delays are stymieing their operations.
From Reuters ● Jan. 6, 2023
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.
