thwart

/θwɔrt/

/θwɔt/

Other forms: thwarted; thwarting; thwarts

A villain's worst nightmare is the superhero who always seems to thwart his efforts, preventing him from carrying out his plans to take over the world.

Thwart is a word you'll hear in a lot of action movies, and usually it's the hero who is trying to thwart the evil plan of some super-villain. Yet even mere mortals can be thwarted in their efforts; the word simply means to prevent someone from carrying out his or her plans. An aggressive driver can thwart your attempt to snag a parking space at a crowded mall by pulling into the space before you. An aggressive shopper at that same mall can thwart your efforts to buy the last Dancing Snoopy doll by grabbing it off the shelf first.

Definitions of thwart

1. verb

   hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
   synonyms: baffle, bilk, confound, cross, foil, frustrate, queer, scotch, scuttle, spoil

   types:

   disappoint, let down

   fail to meet the hopes or expectations of

   dash

   destroy or break

   short-circuit

   hamper the progress of; impede

   ruin

   destroy or cause to fail

   betray, fail

   disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake

   come short, fall short

   fail to meet (expectations or standards)

   disenchant, disillusion

   free from enchantment

   undo

   cause the ruin or downfall of

   break

   cause the failure or ruin of

   shipwreck

   ruin utterly

   type of:

   forbid, foreclose, forestall, preclude, preempt, prevent

   keep from happening or arising; make impossible
2. noun

   a crosspiece spreading the gunnels of a boat; used as a seat in a rowboat
   synonyms: cross thwart

   type of:

   crosspiece

   a transverse brace