as in frustrating
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in deterrence
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in hampering
to prevent from achieving a goal
a coalition of grassroots organizations thwarted the company's efforts to get approval for a new power plant
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of thwarting
Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The thwarting of the Charlotte Hornets, one of the NBA’s fastest squads, is the quintessential White play.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The council keeps losing court battles on issues ranging from its Voter ID law to its efforts to censor library books to its thwarting of state housing laws.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
Reuters, NBC news, 7 May 2026
Frey unleashed his five-pitch arsenal, thwarting the Spartans most of the way.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
In long form, the writers can pack enough globe-spanning spy games, adrenaline-spiking set pieces, and terrorist-thwarting action to keep even James Bond – or Jack Bauer, or Jason Bourne – busy.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
Mostly, Julian and Lori take turns thwarting his obnoxious kids and threatening to quit.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
By siding with inflation hawks at the bank, Acosta has effectively deprived Petro of control of the board, thwarting the leftist leader’s desire for dramatic monetary easing.
—Oscar Medina, Bloomberg, 31 Mar. 2026
Instead they’re best known for fighting each other, barely passing budgets on time, and thwarting the popular will of the people.
—Matt Chilliak, Boston Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Spurgeon left the 3-2 win over the Panthers early after thwarting a scoring attempt, sliding hard into the goalpost on the play.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 2026
From crashing a friend's luau to searching for the sweetest spot to take a nap, avoiding work quickly spirals into thwarting surreal disasters…in the most hilarious and entertaining of ways.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
The attack’s thwarting was an undeniable success.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The thwarting of the Charlotte Hornets, one of the NBA’s fastest squads, is the quintessential White play.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The council keeps losing court battles on issues ranging from its Voter ID law to its efforts to censor library books to its thwarting of state housing laws.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
Israel says its strikes are aimed at thwarting attempts by Hamas and other Palestinian militants to stage attacks against its forces.
—Reuters, NBC news, 7 May 2026
Frey unleashed his five-pitch arsenal, thwarting the Spartans most of the way.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
In long form, the writers can pack enough globe-spanning spy games, adrenaline-spiking set pieces, and terrorist-thwarting action to keep even James Bond – or Jack Bauer, or Jason Bourne – busy.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
Mostly, Julian and Lori take turns thwarting his obnoxious kids and threatening to quit.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
By siding with inflation hawks at the bank, Acosta has effectively deprived Petro of control of the board, thwarting the leftist leader’s desire for dramatic monetary easing.
—Oscar Medina, Bloomberg, 31 Mar. 2026
Instead they’re best known for fighting each other, barely passing budgets on time, and thwarting the popular will of the people.
—Matt Chilliak, Boston Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Spurgeon left the 3-2 win over the Panthers early after thwarting a scoring attempt, sliding hard into the goalpost on the play.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 2026
From crashing a friend's luau to searching for the sweetest spot to take a nap, avoiding work quickly spirals into thwarting surreal disasters…in the most hilarious and entertaining of ways.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thwarting
Adjective
-
Few things are more frustrating than a disruptive night’s sleep.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
This scenario deprives producers, sales agents, and distributors of global monetization opportunities across all types of films, while frustrating audiences who discover these titles but can’t watch them.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The boat carries out long deterrence patrols in the Pacific ocean.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
-
The Ukraine war has convinced many in Europe that deterrence may not be enough.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Snakes become entangled in the traps, hampering movement.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
18 May 2026
-
Further hampering communication is the high level of turnover in the top ranks of BSO personnel who work at the airport.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Why something with the punch of classical tragedy — love destroyed from within by an inexplicable streak of evil — had to be so over-egged is baffling.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
-
The evidence from our tests suggests that the ball won’t be behaving in a way that leads to baffling and erratic flight.—
John Eric Goff,
The Conversation,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s also a chill place to hang post hanging ten, surf-wellness experiences, skateboarding clinics, and e-foiling.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Right on the edge of the river, there are ample opportunities for swimming, fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, kiteboarding, and wing foiling.—
Molly Allen,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The hearing room broke into emotional cheers Tuesday evening when the Sacramento County Board of Education voted to overturn Twin Rivers Unified School District’s decision to revoke the charter for Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, preventing the schools from being forcibly closed.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2026
-
Trump has argued that a temporary spike in energy prices is a small price to pay for the security benefits of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
The winner was the player who avoided being blocked the longest — a blocking game, a category of strategy game where the objective centers on restricting your opponent’s movement.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Videos circulating online captured the moment the freight train barreled into a public bus at a crowded railway crossing near an airport station in Bangkok on Saturday.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
-
Assess your plant first, noticing any crossing or competing branches.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thwarting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thwarting. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
