stonewall

American  

[stohn-wawl] / ˈstoʊnˌwɔl /

verb (used without object)

• stonewalls,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stonewalled,
  past participle,  past
• stonewalling
  present participle

1. to engage in stonewalling.

2. British. filibuster.

3. Cricket. (of a batsman) to play a defensive game, as by persistently blocking the ball instead of batting it for distance and runs.

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verb (used with object)

• stonewalls,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stonewalled,
  past participle,  past
• stonewalling
  present participle

1. Informal. to block, stall, or resist intentionally.

   lobbying efforts to stonewall passage of the legislation.

2. British. to obstruct (the passage of a legislative bill) in Parliament, especially by excessive or prolonged debate.

adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of stonewalling.

   a new round of stonewall tactics.

stonewall British  

/ ˌstəʊnˈwɔːl /

verb

1. (intr) cricket (of a batsman) to play defensively

2. to obstruct or hinder (parliamentary business)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stonewaller
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• stonewalling
  present
• stonewalled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stonewall
  simple
• stonewalls
  simple
• have stonewalled
  perfect
• has stonewalled
  perfect
• am stonewalling
  progressive
• are stonewalling
  progressive
• is stonewalling
  progressive
• have been stonewalling
  perfect progressive
• has been stonewalling
  perfect progressive

Past

• stonewalled
  simple
• had stonewalled
  perfect
• was stonewalling
  progressive
• were stonewalling
  progressive
• had been stonewalling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stonewall
  simple
• will have stonewalled
  perfect
• will be stonewalling
  progressive
• will have been stonewalling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stonewall

v. and adj. use of noun phrase stone wall

Explanation

To stonewall is to deliberately hold something up or delay it, especially by refusing to cooperate or answer questions. A big company might stonewall when its workers try to negotiate for higher pay — and your parents might stonewall when you try to negotiate for a higher allowance. A press secretary stonewalls when she avoids directly answering a reporter's pointed questions, and you stonewall when you change the subject rather than commit to visiting your grandma. The word stonewall was coined as a nickname for Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson, who was described as "standing like a stone wall" as the enemy approached. It was originally a noun, meaning "an act of obstruction."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stonewall stonewalls stonewalled stonewalling

The administration’s attempt to stonewall Alcaraz’s family comes as no surprise.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

But Kornev is young and infused with an idealistic zeal, refusing to let these goons stonewall him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

Head coach Eddie Howe said the Magpies were refused a "stonewall" penalty when Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah barged Anthony Gordon to the ground.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that seeks to stonewall the project.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

Several were sitting back on their haunches, their claws scraping at the chalky stonewall that flanked the waterfall.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

And then, when Tim stonewalls him about stealing a gun, Gaitok doesn’t respond with the obvious “dude, there’s video.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2025

Sections of historic stonewalls that line roads and mark property boundaries remain.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 29, 2020

By late April 1973, however, the stonewalls were crumbling.

From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2017

Bosch finds out, but when he tries to report his findings, the billionaire’s staff stonewalls him.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2016

What spell was equal to those stonewalls, what dexterity of man or friendship, or even the stronger love of woman, could make my dungeon free, or my chains vanish into "thin air?"

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 55, No. 342, April, 1844 by Various

Most schools either didn’t respond, stonewalled the request or demanded excessive fees to process the request.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The sheriff, Bonta said, “has delayed, stonewalled, and otherwise refused to work with us in good faith” and failed to provide most of the requested documents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026

Murphy, who sits in Massachusetts, did not merely rule against the policy; he also documented the many ways that government officials lied, stonewalled, and disobeyed court orders throughout the litigation.

From Slate ● Feb. 28, 2026

Kimberly would later become a powerful champion of parents who felt stonewalled and "lied to" by the authorities.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026

Amber Carson is the woman who stonewalled Alicia on the phone about two and half hours ago.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

A lawsuit accuses the Justice Department and Todd Blanche of stonewalling the state’s investigation into activities at Zorro Ranch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The Madison Collection had been stonewalling these efforts for months, according to the lawsuit, refusing to turn over books and bank accounts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Elysée officials have told journalists that Macron was frustrated by his repeated attempts to build bridges to Algeria constantly coming to nothing because of Algerian stonewalling.

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2024

Litigation of this stonewalling reached the California Supreme Court, which USA Swimming asked to vacate discovery orders.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2024

Disgust, for example, is 1, contempt is 2, anger is 7, defensiveness is 10, whining is 11, sadness is 12, stonewalling is 13, neutral is 14, and so on.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

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