stymie

verb

sty·​mie ˈstī-mē 

stymied; stymieing

transitive verb

: to present an obstacle to : stand in the way of

stymied by red tape

Did you know?

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

• clog
• cramp
• embarrass
• encumber
• fetter
• hamper
• handcuff
• handicap
• hinder
• hobble
• hog-tie
• hold back
• hold up
• impede
• inhibit
• interfere (with)
• manacle
• obstruct
• shackle
• short-circuit
• tie up
• trammel

Examples of stymie in a Sentence

Progress on the project has been stymied by lack of money.

the raging blizzard stymied the rescuers' attempts to find the stranded mountain climbers

Recent Examples on the Web

But Klein notes that all the activity belies just how many of the new administration's most high-profile decisions have already been stymied by sloppy rollouts, gotten jammed up by the courts, or faced widespread condemnation by world leaders. —Gene Demby, NPR, 8 Feb. 2025

Zuckerberg already looked in to building a datacenter adjacent to a nuclear power plant (rumored to be California’s Diablo Canyon site) but was stymied by the discovery of an endangered bee species nearby. —Christopher Helman, Forbes, 8 Feb. 2025

How did China sidestep the export controls meant to stymie its AI development? —Jason Abbruzzese, NBC News, 28 Jan. 2025

Though state agencies are working to streamline the process, those in the industry say the barriers have stymied progress. —Heide Brandes, thehustle.co, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Scots stimie, stymie to obstruct a golf shot by interposition of the opponent's ball

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

stymie

verb

sty·​mie ˈstī-mē 

stymied; stymieing

: to present an obstacle to : stand in the way of

an unexpected snowstorm stymied travelers' plans