stonewalled; stonewalling; stonewalls

intransitive verb

1
chiefly British : to engage in obstructive parliamentary debate or delaying tactics
2
: to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

transitive verb

: to refuse to comply or cooperate with
stonewaller noun

stone wall

2 of 2

noun

1
: a fence made of stones
especially : one built of rough stones without mortar to enclose a field
2
: an immovable block or obstruction (as in public affairs)

Examples of stonewall in a Sentence

Verb They stonewalled until they could come up with a response. They were just stonewalling for time. They're trying to stonewall the media. We're trying to get the information, but we're being stonewalled.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Yet again, efforts to address the problem were stonewalled by the governor and state legislature. Catherine Coleman Flowers, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025 The Buckeyes stonewalled the Longhorns on first down, then tackled running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss on second down. Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
Inside, the 245-room hotel, which is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, takes inspiration from the serenity of the outdoors with wooden floors, stone walls, multiple fireplaces, and large windows to let in natural light. Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2025 My memory somehow already knew of its light, of the coolness of a home’s stone walls, of the sand in the air. Kristina Kasparian, Longreads, 12 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stonewall 

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1880, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stonewall was before the 12th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near stonewall

stone wall

stonewall

stoneware

Cite this Entry

“Stonewall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stonewall. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on stonewall

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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