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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
Emily Brooks, The Hill, 23 July 2025
Osbourne’s bandmates felt his substance abuse had stymied his creative contributions to the band and dismissed him in 1979.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2025
Lawsuits and delays Plans for a recall election have been stymied by two recent lawsuits challenging the legal timeline for a recall process.
—Ilana Arougheti
july 17, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2025
These and other developments stymied Casey’s opportunities to distribute NFL products.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stymie
Cite this Entry
“Stymie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stymie. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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stymie
verb
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