stymie
Americanverb (used with object)
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
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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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.
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
The measure was widely decried by many in tech, who warned it would unleash patchwork regulation that would stymie AI development.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
It was supposed to improve information-sharing, not stymie it.
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026
Officials have not yet released the identities of any victims, and extreme weather in the area has continued to stymie efforts to search for the missing body, or even to retrieve those already confirmed dead.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
Well, the first thing to be done it to get rid of Loudon's stymie with the authorities.
From Huntingtower by Buchan, John
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.
