stymie

[ stahy-mee ]

See synonyms for: stymie stymied stymies on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),sty·mied, sty·mie·ing.

to hinder, block, or thwart.

noun

a situation or problem presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat any attempt to deal with or resolve it.
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.

Origin of stymie

First recorded in 1855–60; origin uncertain

Sometimes sty·my .

Other words for stymie

1	perplex, frustrate; stump, confound

See synonyms for stymie on Thesaurus.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stymie in a sentence

How will the country cope with the immense energy shortage that stymies economic opportunity for a restless nation?
Pakistan’s Crucial Elections: There’s Much at Stake for the U.S. | Shirin Tahir-Kheli | May 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The fact which must be driven home is that some stymies are negotiable and others are not—not by any player or by any method.
The Complete Golfer [1905] | Harry Vardon
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.
The Complete Golfer [1905] | Harry Vardon
If the balls are much more than a foot apart, the "follow-through method" of playing stymies is almost certain to fail.
The Complete Golfer [1905] | Harry Vardon
I maintain that in the nature of things most ordinary stymies, when played in the manner which I advocate, are very easy.
The Soul of Golf | Percy Adolphus Vaile

An interesting case was quoted to me some time since of the success a man achieved in lofting over stymies, and the reason why.
The Happy Golfer | Henry Leach

British Dictionary definitions for stymie

stymie

stymy

/ (ˈstaɪmɪ) /

verb-mies, -mieing, -mied, -mies, -mying or -mied (tr; often passive)

to hinder or thwart
golf to impede with a stymie

nounplural -mies

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
a situation of obstruction

Origin of stymie

C19: of uncertain origin

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

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