thwart
Use Thwart in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to oppose successfully; prevent from accomplishing a purpose.
2.
to frustrate or baffle (a plan, purpose, etc.).
3.
Archaic.
a.
to cross.
b.
to extend across.
noun
4.
a seat across a boat, especially one used by a rower.
5.
a transverse member spreading the gunwales of a canoe or the like.
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Thwart
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to bark; yelp. |
adjective
6.
passing or lying crosswise or across; cross; transverse.
7.
perverse; obstinate.
8.
adverse; unfavorable.
preposition, adverb
9.
across; athwart.
Origin:
1200–50; Middle English thwert (adv.) < Old Norse thvert across, neuter of thverr transverse; cognate with Old English thweorh crooked, cross, Gothic thwairhs cross, angry
1200–50; Middle English thwert (adv.) < Old Norse thvert across, neuter of thverr transverse; cognate with Old English thweorh crooked, cross, Gothic thwairhs cross, angry
Related forms
thwart·ed·ly, adverb
thwart·er, noun
un·thwart·ed, adjective
un·thwart·ing, adjective
Synonyms
1. hinder, obstruct. Thwart, frustrate, baffle imply preventing one, more or less completely, from accomplishing a purpose. Thwart and frustrate apply to purposes, actions, plans, etc., baffle to the psychological state of the person thwarted. Thwart suggests stopping one by opposing, blocking, or in some way running counter to one's efforts. Frustrate implies rendering all attempts or efforts useless or ineffectual, so that nothing ever comes of them. Baffle suggests causing defeat by confusing, puzzling, or perplexing, so that a situation seems too hard a problem to understand or solve.
1. hinder, obstruct. Thwart, frustrate, baffle imply preventing one, more or less completely, from accomplishing a purpose. Thwart and frustrate apply to purposes, actions, plans, etc., baffle to the psychological state of the person thwarted. Thwart suggests stopping one by opposing, blocking, or in some way running counter to one's efforts. Frustrate implies rendering all attempts or efforts useless or ineffectual, so that nothing ever comes of them. Baffle suggests causing defeat by confusing, puzzling, or perplexing, so that a situation seems too hard a problem to understand or solve.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To thwart
Collins
World English Dictionary
thwart (θwɔːt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to oppose successfully or prevent; frustrate: they thwarted the plan |
| 2. | obsolete to be or move across |
| —n | |
| 3. | nautical |
| a. a seat lying across a boat and occupied by an oarsman | |
| b. | |
| —adj | |
| 4. | passing or being situated across |
| 5. | archaic perverse or stubborn |
| —prep, —adv | |
| 6. | obsolete across |
| [C13: from Old Norse thvert, from thverr transverse; related to Old English thweorh crooked, Old High German twerh transverse] | |
| 'thwartedly | |
| —adv | |
| 'thwarter | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
thwart
c.1200, from O.N. þvert "across," originally neut. of thverr (adj.) "transverse, across," cognate with O.E. þweorh "transverse, perverse, angry, cross," from P.Gmc. *thwerkhaz (cf. M.Du. dwers, Du. dwars "cross-grained, contrary," O.H.G. twerh, Ger. quer, Goth. þwairhs "angry"), altered
(by influence of *thwer- "to turn") from *therkh-, from PIE *twork-/*twerk- "twist" (cf. L. torquere "to twist," Skt. tarkuh "spindle," O.C.S. traku "band, girdle," O.H.G. drahsil "turner," Ger. drechseln "to turn on a lathe"). The verb meaning "oppose, hinder" is mid-13c., from the adv. and prep.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Regular exercise lowers cholesterol and blood pressure and helps thwart heart disease and other illnesses.
The service is paid for by pharmaceutical companies that want to thwart the counterfeiters.
And to use them to thwart whatever comets the divine creator may see fit to throw at us.
But he has been careful, from the beginning of his bankability, to thwart audience expectations.
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