stonewalling

[stohn-waw-ling]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stonewalling ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of stalling, evading, or filibustering, especially to avoid revealing politically embarrassing information.

Origin of stonewalling

First recorded in 1875–80; stonewall + -ing¹

stonewall

[stohn-wawl]

verb (used without object)

to engage in stonewalling.

British. filibuster(def 3).

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

verb (used with object)

Informal. to block, stall, or resist intentionally: lobbying efforts to stonewall passage of the legislation.

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

adjective

pertaining to or characteristic of stonewalling: a new round of stonewall tactics.

Origin of stonewall

v. and adj. use of noun phrase stone wall

Related formsstone·wall·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stonewalling

rebuff, resist, stall, filibuster

Examples from the Web for stonewalling

Contemporary Examples of stonewalling

On Fox News he said he did not believe the CIA was stonewalling his committee, as others had alleged.
New Benghazi Investigation Spooks GOP Leaders
Eli Lake
May 14, 2014
In the meeting with Ferguson, there was an accusation of stonewalling him.
How Team Clinton Shut Down the CNN and NBC Hillary Shows
Lloyd Grove
October 2, 2013
He has not done so, and I gather he is stonewalling reporters on the question.
Obama Hatred and the IRS
Michael Tomasky
June 6, 2013
By stonewalling, Apple is needlessly making things worse for itself.
Apple Stonewalling on Location Tracking Triggers Congressional Hearings
Dan Lyons
April 25, 2011

British Dictionary definitions for stonewalling

stonewall

verb

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

to obstruct or hinder (parliamentary business)

Derived Formsstonewaller, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stonewalling

stonewall

Old English stanwalle (n.); see stone (n.) + wall (n.). As nickname of Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson (1824-1863), bestowed 1861 on the occasion of the First Battle of Bull Run, supposedly by Gen. Bernard Bee, urging his brigade to rally around Jackson, who was "standing like a stone wall." Bee was killed in the battle; the account of the nickname appeared in Southern newspapers within four days of the battle.

On the face of it this account has no character of authenticity, and the words ascribed to Bee smack less of the battlefield than of the editorial sanctum. ... It seems inherently probable that something was said by somebody, during or immediately after the battle, that likened Jackson or his men or both to a stone wall. [R.M. Johnston, "Bull Run: Its Strategy and Tactics," Boston, 1913]

stonewall

"to obstruct," 1914, from metaphoric use of stone wall for "act of obstruction" (1876). Related: Stonewalled; stonewalling.