thwart
Americanverb (used with object)
-
thwarts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thwarted,
past participle, past
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thwarting
present participle
noun
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thwarts
plural
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a seat across a boat, especially one used by a rower.
-
a transverse member spreading the gunwales of a canoe or the like.
adjective
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passing or lying crosswise or across; cross; transverse.
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perverse; obstinate.
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adverse; unfavorable.
preposition
verb
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to oppose successfully or prevent; frustrate
they thwarted the plan
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obsolete to be or move across
noun
adjective
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passing or being situated across
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archaic perverse or stubborn
preposition
Synonym Usage
Thwart, frustrate, baffle imply preventing one, more or less completely, from accomplishing a purpose. Thwart and frustrate apply to purposes, actions, plans, etc., baffle, to the psychological state of the person thwarted. Thwart suggests stopping one by opposing, blocking, or in some way running counter to one's efforts. Frustrate implies rendering all attempts or efforts useless or ineffectual, so that nothing ever comes of them. Baffle suggests causing defeat by confusing, puzzling, or perplexing, so that a situation seems too hard a problem to understand or solve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thwartsimple
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thwartssimple
-
have thwartedperfect
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has thwartedperfect
-
am thwartingprogressive
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are thwartingprogressive
-
is thwartingprogressive
-
have been thwartingperfect progressive
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has been thwartingperfect progressive
Past
-
thwartedsimple
-
had thwartedperfect
-
was thwartingprogressive
-
were thwartingprogressive
-
had been thwartingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thwart
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English thwert (adverb), from Old Norse thvert “across,” neuter of thverr “transverse”; cognate with Old English thweorh “crooked, cross,” Gothic thwairhs “cross, angry”
Explanation
A villain's worst nightmare is the superhero who always seems to thwart his efforts, preventing him from carrying out his plans to take over the world. Thwart is a word you'll hear in a lot of action movies, and usually it's the hero who is trying to thwart the evil plan of some super-villain. Yet even mere mortals can be thwarted in their efforts; the word simply means to prevent someone from carrying out his or her plans. An aggressive driver can thwart your attempt to snag a parking space at a crowded mall by pulling into the space before you. An aggressive shopper at that same mall can thwart your efforts to buy the last Dancing Snoopy doll by grabbing it off the shelf first.
Vocabulary lists containing thwart
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Animal Farm
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Romeo and Juliet
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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:
Israel has been providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence to help thwart further attacks, using American military intermediaries, according to Israeli media reports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Kyiv and Western governments are seeking cheaper ways to thwart low-cost attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The article—by reporters Jonathan Swan, Adam Entous, and Maggie Haberman—adds that those commanders are alarmed by how much the war has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles, including long-range missiles and interceptors to thwart air attacks.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
An outbreak of digital attacks on U.S. water plants is stoking fears across party lines that budget cuts at the federal government’s primary cybersecurity agency could leave the nation ill-equipped to thwart global hackers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Turning and looking down from this camp one sees the glacier-flow split, divided, torn and churned by the black steaming peaks that thwart it.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
It brings to mind this concept of malicious compliance, where you’re technically doing what you’re supposed to, but in a way that actually thwarts the goals of the powers that be.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2025
“The Challenge” injects randomness and chaos into the mix that thwarts the most studious strategists, mainly by throwing people for a loop by changing up certain games and tossing psychological tests into its pressure cooker.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2023
Fans have repeatedly told him how they can relate — to Lilo’s frustration over feeling misunderstood, to Nani’s determination in spite of a world that continually thwarts her good intentions, even to Stitch’s rebellious nature.
From New York Times ● Jun. 21, 2022
However, the long and complex labor that makes the dough elastic thwarts most of those who try.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2022
The driver went to the rear of the truck, opened it, and pulled out a sixteen-foot Kevlar canoe, with paddles taped to the thwarts.
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
Torrential rain meant everyone got cold and wet, particularly the protesters but the road remained blocked and the parade was thwarted.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Their efforts were thwarted by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who rejected the petition right at the deadline, hours before the state’s primary election last month.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Part of the problem is weak domestic investment, which analysts say is partly thwarted by structural flaws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Not long after, after townsfolk thwarted an attempted kidnapping of a local grower, hundreds of people gathered in the sun-bleached central plaza and drafted a communique.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
On the way home they stopped on the lonely Atlantic outcrop of St. Helena, where they met Maskelyne, whose observations had been thwarted by cloud cover.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
You hardly need reminding of the backdrop that contributed to thwarting many of his recent, many predecessors: a persistently sclerotic economy and a persistently turbulent international picture, for starters.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Mostly, Julian and Lori take turns thwarting his obnoxious kids and threatening to quit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Golden Dome is a closely watched project for thwarting airborne attacks on the U.S. and its territories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
The midfielder might have added a fourth late on but Levante goalkeeper Mathew Ryan denied him with an excellent reflex save, after first thwarting Raphinha.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
As it is, you are thwarting yourself and your mentality.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
