Word of the Day

: July 12, 2013

thwart

verb THWORT

What It Means

1 a : to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle

b : to oppose successfully : defeat the hopes or aspirations of

2 : to pass through or across

thwart in Context

At the end of the episode, the fleeing villain told the hero, "You may have thwarted me this time, but I'll be back."

"But the union and its parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, are also trying to thwart the Lawrence turnaround plan legislatively." - From an editorial in the Boston Globe, May 29, 2013

Did You Know?

"Thwart" and its synonyms "foil" and "frustrate" all suggest checking or defeating another's plan or preventing the achievement of a goal. "Foil" implies checking or defeating so as to discourage future efforts ("foiled by her parents, he stopped trying to see her"), while "frustrate" suggests making all efforts, however vigorous or persistent, futile or ineffectual ("frustrated attempts at government reform"). "Thwart" usually indicates frustration caused by opposition ("the army thwarted an attempted coup").