frus·trate
ˈfrə-ˌstrāt 
frustrated; frustrating
1
a
: to balk or defeat in an endeavor
frustrated her opponents by her ball-handling
b
: to induce feelings of discouragement in
Not being able to find a job frustrated him.
: characterized by frustration
Examples of frustrate in a Sentence
Verb
It frustrated him to miss so many games because of injuries.
We've been frustrated by bureaucratic delays.
Bureaucratic delays have frustrated our efforts to resolve this problem.
The lack of investors has frustrated them in their efforts to expand the company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
In a recording of the call later released by police, Sigg and her son – both emotionally distraught – sound frustrated by the dispatcher’s questions, feeling they were not being taken seriously.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Mike Burbach, Twin Cities, 7 Oct. 2025
Rebecca Hall plays Rosenkrantz and Ben Whishaw plays Hujar, who offers a detailed account of his previous day’s activity, involving such idiosyncratic eminences as Susan Sontag and Allen Ginsberg—and the sorts of gamesmanship and intimate tensions that ensnare and frustrate artistic energies.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frustrate
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Verb
The survey found 50% of Americans were frustrated with the shutdown and another 20% were angry.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
In a recording of the call later released by police, Sigg and her son – both emotionally distraught – sound frustrated by the dispatcher’s questions, feeling they were not being taken seriously.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
But drones are the most cost-effective way to frustrate Russian advances and raise the price of aggression.
—Mike Burbach, Twin Cities, 7 Oct. 2025
Rebecca Hall plays Rosenkrantz and Ben Whishaw plays Hujar, who offers a detailed account of his previous day’s activity, involving such idiosyncratic eminences as Susan Sontag and Allen Ginsberg—and the sorts of gamesmanship and intimate tensions that ensnare and frustrate artistic energies.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frustrate
Cite this Entry
“Frustrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frustrate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
frustrate
transitive verb
frus·trate
ˈfrəs-ˌtrāt
frustrated; frustrating
: to induce feelings of frustration in
Legal Definition
frustrate
transitive verb
frus·trate
ˈfrəs-ˌtrāt
frustrated; frustrating
: to make invalid or ineffectual : defeat
the remedial purposes of the Workers' Compensation Act should not be frustrated by rigid technical standards—Palmer v. Bath Iron Works Corp., 559 A.2d 340 (1989)
Palmer v. Bath Iron Works Corp., 559 A.2d 340 (1989)Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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