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Golf was being played in Scotland as early as the 15th century, but it wasn't until the 19th century that the sport really caught on in England and North America. It was also in the 19th century that the word stymie entered English as a noun referring to a golfing situation in which one player's ball lies between another ball and the hole on the putting green, thereby blocking the line of play. Later, stymie came to be used as a verb meaning "to bring into the position of, or impede by, a stymie." By the early 20th century, the verb was being applied in similarly vexing non-golf contexts.
Synonyms
Examples of stymie in a Sentence
Lena Dunham, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2024
Several Democrats who have sought to advance women’s health research in their time in Congress expressed concern that a second Trump term would stymie the headway being made on the issue, however.
—Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024
Plans were stymied, alas, but thank goodness for rain!
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
McDonald’s next steps immediately following stymieing the E. coli outbreak will be to examine and maybe alter its supply chain, Marler said.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Stymie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stymie. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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stymie
verb
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