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) orstymy
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 |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. | stymie - a situation in golf where an opponent's ball blocks the line between your ball and the hole |
| 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" | |
| Verb | 1. | 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
verbThe 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 sb → bloquear a algn, poner obstáculos infranqueables delante de algnnow 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
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
stymie
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995