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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
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
Inefficiencies in charging still stymie many owners, even as the infrastructure expands in the US and Tesla’s Supercharger network is widely recognized as the best available.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
This would be helpful in the eyes of Nick Goodwin, director of government affairs for the health care association, because assisted living is the most affordable form of long-term care but is being stymied by its inclusion on a waitlist with other more expensive forms of care.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 3 Feb. 2026
The band’s success was stymied by internal schisms, as Negron’s addiction to drugs eventually landed him on Skid Row for a time.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stymie
Cite this Entry
“Stymie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stymie. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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stymie
verb
