Thwart Definition

thwôrt
thwarted, thwarting, thwarts
verb
thwarted, thwarting, thwarts
To prevent the occurrence, realization, or attainment of.
They thwarted her plans.
American Heritage
To extend or place over or across.
Webster's New World
To hinder, obstruct, frustrate, or defeat (a person, plans, etc.)
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
noun
thwarts
A rower's seat extending across a boat.
Webster's New World
A brace extending across a canoe.
Webster's New World

(nautical) A brace, perpendicular to the keel, that helps maintain the beam (breadth) of a marine vessel against external water pressure and that may serve to support the rail.

A well made doughout canoe rarely needs a thwart.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
  • cross thwart
adjective
Lying or extending across something else; transverse; oblique.
Webster's New World
Perverse.
Webster's New World
preposition
Athwart; across.
American Heritage
adverb
Athwart.
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Thwart

Noun

Singular:
thwart
Plural:
thwarts

Origin of Thwart

  • From Old Norse þvert "˜across', originally neut. of thverr (transverse, across), cognates include Old English þweorh (transverse, perverse, angry, cross), Danish tvær, Gothic 𐌸𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍃 (þwaírs, “angry"), Dutch dwars (cross-grained, contrary), German quer, from Proto-Germanic *þwerhaz, altered by influence of Proto-Germanic *þweranÄ… (to turn) from Proto-Germanic *þerh-, from Proto-Indo-European *twork-/*twerk- (twist).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English thwerten from thwert across from Old Norse thvert neuter of thverr transverse terkw- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to thwart using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

thwart