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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
Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 29 May 2025
Waiting it out Many Americans had hoped to buy a home this spring but have instead been stymied by concerns about a possible job loss, high mortgage rates and stock market volatility.
—Laurel Wamsley, NPR, 28 May 2025
These refrains will feature prominently in China’s reaction precisely because a stronger coalition could stymie Beijing’s revisionist ambitions.
—Ely Ratner, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2025
There are ways for Brandon Johnson to communicate his record to voters without exacerbating the ethnic divisions that long have stymied progress in this city.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 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 5 Jun. 2025.
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stymie
verb
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