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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
Jacob Calvin Meyer, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025
Washington — The Supreme Court spent much of its most recent term responding to a fire hose of requests for emergency relief sought by the Trump administration, as President Trump's efforts to implement key aspects of his second-term agenda were stymied by lower courts on several fronts.
—Melissa Quinn
july 9, CBS News, 9 July 2025
Yet, the practical challenges are formidable: ballot access laws, signature requirements, and the entrenched power of the two major parties have stymied previous third-party efforts.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 9 July 2025
Both sides have also been stymied by federal prosecutors unwilling to share electronics seized from the defendants when they were arrested and their homes were raided in December.
—Miami Herald, 8 July 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 21 Jul. 2025.
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stymie
verb
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