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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.
Examples of stymie in a Sentence
Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025
Like every thriller, Gazer is about someone trying to piece together someone else’s narrative, though for Frankie, this process is stymied not just by the people trying to stop her, but by her own perception.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
The courts have stymied those attempts following the president's executive order barring the children of undocumented immigrants from birthright citizenship.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
The big picture: While the list includes Oasis, Soundgarden and the White Stripes, Chicago fans are stymied by the exclusion of one of their own: Smashing Pumpkins.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stymie
Cite this Entry
“Stymie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stymie. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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stymie
verb
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