thwart
To stop someone's plan from succeeding.
thwart in a sentence
- The goalkeeper thwarted every attempt to score, diving left and right.
- Heavy rain managed to thwart our picnic plans, so we ate the sandwiches in the car instead.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to thwart?
- Aallow
- Bassist
- Cblock
- Dhelp
Show the answer
C: block. The other three mean the opposite of thwart.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to thwart?
- Astop
- Bfoil
- Cblock
- Dhelp
Show the answer
D: help. The other three mean nearly the same as thwart.
Words that mean something similar
block, foil, stop
Words that mean the opposite
help, allow, assist
More words about movement & action
- toil: To work very hard for a long time.
- totter: To walk or stand unsteadily, as if about to fall.
- traipse: To walk somewhere slowly and unwillingly because you are tired.
- traverse: To travel across something from one side to the other.
- trek: A long, difficult journey on foot.
- trudge: To walk slowly with heavy steps because you are tired.
- tussle: A rough struggle or fight, usually not serious.
- undulate: To move in gentle waves, rising and falling.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test