stymie

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sty·mie

 (stī′mē)
tr.v. sty·mied, sty·mie·ing, sty·mies
To be an obstacle to; prevent the advancement or success of; thwart or stump: weather that stymied attempts to locate the missing hikers; a math problem that stymied half the class.
n.
1. An obstacle or obstruction.
2. Sports A situation in golf in which an opponent's ball obstructs the line of play of one's own ball on the putting green.

[Originally, a golf ball obstructing one's line of play; perhaps akin to Scots stymie, person with poor vision (perhaps from styme, in to se nocht ane styme, not to see a glimmer (of something)).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

stymie

(ˈstaɪmɪ) or

stymy

vb (tr; often passive) , -mies, -mieing, -mied, -mies, -mying or -mied
1. to hinder or thwart
2. (Golf) golf to impede with a stymie
n, pl -mies
3. (Golf) golf (formerly) a situation on the green in which an opponent's ball is blocking the line between the hole and the ball about to be played: an obstructing ball may now be lifted and replaced by a marker
4. a situation of obstruction
[C19: of uncertain origin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sty•mie

or sty•my

(ˈstaɪ mi)

v. -mied, -mie•ing v.t.
1. to hinder, block, or thwart.
n.
2. Golf. (on a putting green) an instance of a ball's lying on a direct line between the cup and the ball of an opponent about to putt.
3. a situation or problem presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat attempts to deal with or resolve it.
[1855–60; orig. uncertain]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

stymie


Past participle: stymied
Gerund: stymieing

Imperative
stymie
stymie
Present
I stymie
you stymie
he/she/it stymies
we stymie
you stymie
they stymie
Preterite
I stymied
you stymied
he/she/it stymied
we stymied
you stymied
they stymied
Present Continuous
I am stymieing
you are stymieing
he/she/it is stymieing
we are stymieing
you are stymieing
they are stymieing
Present Perfect
I have stymied
you have stymied
he/she/it has stymied
we have stymied
you have stymied
they have stymied
Past Continuous
I was stymieing
you were stymieing
he/she/it was stymieing
we were stymieing
you were stymieing
they were stymieing
Past Perfect
I had stymied
you had stymied
he/she/it had stymied
we had stymied
you had stymied
they had stymied
Future
I will stymie
you will stymie
he/she/it will stymie
we will stymie
you will stymie
they will stymie
Future Perfect
I will have stymied
you will have stymied
he/she/it will have stymied
we will have stymied
you will have stymied
they will have stymied
Future Continuous
I will be stymieing
you will be stymieing
he/she/it will be stymieing
we will be stymieing
you will be stymieing
they will be stymieing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been stymieing
you have been stymieing
he/she/it has been stymieing
we have been stymieing
you have been stymieing
they have been stymieing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been stymieing
you will have been stymieing
he/she/it will have been stymieing
we will have been stymieing
you will have been stymieing
they will have been stymieing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been stymieing
you had been stymieing
he/she/it had been stymieing
we had been stymieing
you had been stymieing
they had been stymieing
Conditional
I would stymie
you would stymie
he/she/it would stymie
we would stymie
you would stymie
they would stymie
Past Conditional
I would have stymied
you would have stymied
he/she/it would have stymied
we would have stymied
you would have stymied
they would have stymied
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.stymie - a situation in golf where an opponent's ball blocks the line between your ball and the hole
situation, position - a condition or position in which you find yourself; "the unpleasant situation (or position) of having to choose between two evils"; "found herself in a very fortunate situation"
2.stymie - a thwarting and distressing situation
obstacle, obstruction - something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"
Verb1.stymie - hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of; "His brother blocked him at every turn"
stonewall - obstruct or hinder any discussion; "Nixon stonewalled the Watergate investigation"; "When she doesn't like to face a problem, she simply stonewalls"
foreclose, forestall, preclude, prevent, forbid - keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project"
filibuster - obstruct deliberately by delaying
check - block or impede (a player from the opposing team) in ice hockey
hang - prevent from reaching a verdict, of a jury
bottleneck - slow down or impede by creating an obstruction; "His laziness has bottlenecked our efforts to reform the system"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

stymie

verb frustrate, defeat, foil, thwart, puzzle, stump, snooker, hinder, confound, mystify, balk, flummox, throw a spanner in the works (Brit. informal), nonplus, spike (someone's) guns Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

stymie

verb
To prevent from accomplishing a purpose:
Informal: cross, stump.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

stymie

[ˈstaɪmɪ] VT to stymie sbbloquear a algn, poner obstáculos infranqueables delante de algn
now we're really stymied!¡la hemos pringado de verdad!, ¡la hemos liado!
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

stymie

[ˈstaɪmi] vt [+ person, efforts] → entraver
to be stymied → être entravé(e)
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

stymie

vt (fig inf)mattsetzen (inf); to be stymiedaufgeschmissen sein (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

stymie

[ˈstaɪmɪ] vt (fam) → ostacolare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
"Don't be silly, Sara," said Aunt Janet, a little stimy. She was a good soul, that Aunt Janet, and had a kind, loving heart in her ample bosom.