thwart
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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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.
-
perverse; obstinate.
-
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
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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
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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:
Hacegaba in May launched a cyber-defense operations center to thwart tens of thousands of cyberattacks daily, which jeopardize computer systems and all equipment connected to them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
But the administration has taken a variety of steps to thwart Congress’ directives.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
The 5th Circuit is still trying to thwart its goal.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2026
The state of California is leading an effort to prepare a possible lawsuit that could thwart Paramount Skydance Corp.’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
It took her years to learn better ways to thwart the Sorrow Eater.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
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
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
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
I'm hoping for hours of uninterrupted romantic political discussion, but Didu thwarts that plan.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
Telegram quickly became one of the most used online services in Russia and easily thwarted a years-long attempt by Moscow's internet authorities to block access inside the country.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The FBI thwarted a plot targeting a UFC event that took place on Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House, the agency's head Kash Patel has said.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
In this case, the fund being targeted thwarted the activist investors by denying them the full voting power of their shares.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Nothing worked: The wily birds thwarted every defense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Just like the wee mousie in the poem by Mr. Robert Burns, it seemed as if Penelope’s best-laid plans were being thwarted at every turn.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
"As her book's title suggests, it turns out Hill was quite busy behind the doors of justice, thwarting the integrity of the justice system she was sworn to protect and uphold," the justices wrote.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Revolution’s experimental drugs seek to block the driver, thereby thwarting common cancers including lung, pancreatic and colon that have proven difficult to treat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
Treasury yields snapped higher Tuesday, breaking a six-week trading range and thwarting the bond market’s traditional role as a haven in times of stock market volatility.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
Those experiments showed they could turn unresponsive cancers into responsive ones, thwarting tumor growth.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2025
You have aided in thwarting me; now you shall come to my call.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
