thwart
Americanverb (used with object)
-
thwarts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thwarted,
past participle, past
-
thwarting
present participle
noun
-
thwarts
plural
-
a seat across a boat, especially one used by a rower.
-
a transverse member spreading the gunwales of a canoe or the like.
adjective
-
passing or lying crosswise or across; cross; transverse.
-
perverse; obstinate.
-
adverse; unfavorable.
preposition
verb
-
to oppose successfully or prevent; frustrate
they thwarted the plan
-
obsolete to be or move across
noun
adjective
-
passing or being situated across
-
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
-
thwartsimple
-
thwartssimple
-
have thwartedperfect
-
has thwartedperfect
-
am thwartingprogressive
-
are thwartingprogressive
-
is thwartingprogressive
-
have been thwartingperfect progressive
-
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
Dissed List: Breakup Words for Valentine's Day
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Animal Farm
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Romeo and Juliet
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Police refused them permission to protest and unprecedented curbs were in place to thwart the protesters from reaching the venue.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Brockman said at the time he had made the donation in a personal capacity, but OpenAI employees criticized the move as an attempt by the company’s leadership to thwart sensible AI regulations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 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
In some frontline Ukrainian cities, nets are hung high and wide across long stretches of road, forming corridors like spiders' webs to thwart aerial attacks.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Alice cried, and stumbled up and fell across the thwart and half out of the canoe and then scrambled up and was gone after them.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
The long consignment to the wilderness thwarts “preservation, access, education, creative reuse, scholarship, etc., when most of the works are out of circulation and not benefiting any rights holders.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025
Wendy thwarts that in accordance with the third trope: the hero returning to save someone weaker than she is.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2025
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
And while most of us will want to tell ourselves that murderers are different from the rest of us, a woman like Montgomery — so personable, so ladylike — thwarts that disidentification.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
The men took turns hacking ice off the thwarts and bows, and bailing to keep the small boats from foundering.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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
But the available data paint a worrisome picture of thwarted learning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 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
“It is the same all the way through. Charming descriptions of mountain goats and ibexes! Blooming edelweiss and cute babies! This is not poetry. Where is the suffering? The torment? The thwarted dreams?”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
But the law keeps thwarting them, and the Hutchinson case could become the latest example.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
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
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
You have aided in thwarting me; now you shall come to my call.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
