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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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:
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
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
And they understand behavioral finance and the psychological biases that can cloud your judgment and stymie your saving, spending and investing habits.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 26, 2026
"The most ignorant duffer in the world could lay you a stymie if—-" the loud-voiced golfer was complaining just at that instant.
From The Flyers by McCutcheon, George Barr
There is a degree of obscurantism in all this, as Mr. Kracht’s bizarre book willfully stymies understanding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
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. 21, 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
An interesting case was quoted to me some time since of the success a man achieved in lofting over stymies, and the reason why.
From The Happy Golfer Being Some Experiences, Reflections, and a Few Deductions of a Wandering Golfer by Leach, Henry
Yet again, they found their voices stymied, their input limited to Post-it notes.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
When he is stymied, as tends to happen, he seeks the advice of his captive, a sharper man than any of the small-minded, superstitious figures on his council.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Are good players being lined up but deals being stymied from above?
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
The rise of remote work has seriously stymied younger workers’ efforts to launch a career, according to new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
Confronted with my mother’s resolve, my father appeared stymied.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Another issue stymieing fundraising is the perception among some investors that they haven’t seen the desired liquidity from their Asian investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The landmark 56-year-old state law has been credited with helping to preserve California’s natural beauty and protecting communities from hazardous impacts of construction projects — but also blamed for stymieing construction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 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
Faison thanked the officer on Monday for stymieing "what we believe were the original aims of this white supremacist domestic terrorist."
From Reuters ● Aug. 28, 2023
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
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.
