thwart

[ thwawrt ]

/ θwɔrt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thwart ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to oppose successfully; prevent from accomplishing a purpose.

to frustrate or baffle (a plan, purpose, etc.).

Archaic.

to cross.
to extend across.

noun

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, adverb

across; athwart.

Nearby words

Origin of thwart

1200–50; Middle English thwert (adv.) < Old Norse thvert across, neuter of thverr transverse; cognate with Old English thweorh crooked, cross, Gothic thwairhs cross, angry

SYNONYMS FOR thwart

1. hinder, obstruct. 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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thwart ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsthwart·ed·ly, adverbthwart·er, nounun·thwart·ed, adjectiveun·thwart·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for thwarting

Prince said that despite $80 billion a year in spending, U.S. intelligence had nothing to do with thwarting the Nigerian national.
Blackwater Founder Erik Prince: War on Terror Has Become Too Big|Eli Lake|November 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Military men defended the repression as key to thwarting the communist threat.
Guatemala’s Trial of the Century|Mac Margolis|May 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The outside world has achieved remarkable success delaying and thwarting the Iranian nuclear program.
Stand With Israel|David Frum|November 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Romney said current trade restrictions are thwarting economic growth in developing nations as well as in the United States.
Mitt Romney Speaks at Clinton Global Initiative, Hopes for Clinton “Bounce”|Allison Yarrow|September 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The prison lobby ensures this does not happen by thwarting nearly every reform that could result in fewer people behind bars.
Norquist's Jindal Veep Mistake|Michael Tomasky|May 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We are taking you to Dantor who has knowledge of the mad plans of the Llotta and is in need of your help in thwarting them.
The Copper-Clad World|Harl Vincent
First arouse any desire, and then you can give pleasure by gratifying it, displeasure by thwarting it.
Psychology|Robert S. Woodworth
Could he, as a means of thwarting his relative, be allowed to marry?
The Secrets of a Savoyard|Henry A. Lytton
But a new power was coming to the front, at once assisting and thwarting our efforts.
John Redmond's Last Years|Stephen Gwynn
All this time, she led me as miserable a life as she could; provoking and thwarting and insulting me at every opportunity.
Hide and Seek|Wilkie Collins

British Dictionary definitions for thwarting

thwart

/ (θwɔːt) /

verb

to oppose successfully or prevent; frustratethey thwarted the plan

obsolete to be or move across

noun

nautical a seat lying across a boat and occupied by an oarsman

adjective

passing or being situated across

archaic perverse or stubborn

preposition, adverb

obsolete across

Derived Formsthwartedly, adverbthwarter, noun

Word Origin for thwart

C13: from Old Norse thvert, from thverr transverse; related to Old English thweorh crooked, Old High German twerh transverse

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

Word Origin and History for thwarting

thwart

adv.

c.1200, from Old Norse þvert "across," originally neuter of thverr (adj.) "transverse, across," cognate with Old English þweorh "transverse, perverse, angry, cross," from Proto-Germanic *thwerkhaz (cf. Middle Dutch dwers, Dutch dwars "cross-grained, contrary," Old High German twerh, German quer, Gothic þwairhs "angry"), altered (by influence of *thwer- "to turn") from *therkh-, from PIE *twork-/*twerk- "twist" (cf. Latin torquere "to twist," Sanskrit tarkuh "spindle," Old Church Slavonic traku "band, girdle," Old High German drahsil "turner," German drechseln "to turn on a lathe").

thwart

"oppose, hinder," mid-13c., from thwart (adv.). Related: Thwarted; thwarting.

thwart

verb (used with object)

noun

adjective

preposition, adverb

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Origin of thwart

Examples from the Web for thwarting

thwart

verb

noun

adjective

preposition, adverb

Word Origin for thwart

thwart

thwart