thwart
gb/θwˈɔɹt/ us/θwˈɔɹt/
C1
English
~ 9300
megakadályoz, meghiúsít, keresztpad
VERB
C1
FORMAL
1
megakadályoz
B2
meghiúsít
C1
Usage pattern:
to thwart [someone/something]
Heavy rain thwarted the rescue operation for several hours.
A heves eső több órán át megakadályozta a mentőakciót.
The police managed to thwart the gang’s plan to rob the bank.
A rendőrségnek sikerült meghiúsítania a banda bankrablási tervét.
Her quick thinking thwarted an attempt to hack the company’s servers.
The new regulations are designed to thwart tax evasion by large corporations.
Local residents successfully thwarted efforts to close the community center.
Learner examples
Police thwarted the man before he could start the fire.
A rendőrök még azelőtt megakadályozták a férfit, hogy tüzet gyújthatott volna.
Bad weather thwarted their climb to the top of the mountain.
A rossz idő megakadályozta, hogy feljussanak a hegy tetejére.
The team worked hard to thwart the attack.
New rules thwarted his plan to sell the land.
Her parents tried to thwart her dream of moving abroad.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *thwart* like an adjective (e.g., *I am thwart*). The correct forms are *I feel thwarted* or *My plans were thwarted*. Another mistake is using *thwart* with an infinitive (e.g., *They thwarted him to escape*). Instead, use a noun or -ing form: *They thwarted his escape* or *They thwarted him from escaping* (more formal).
Meaning
Prevent someone or something succeeding
Collocations
thwart an attempt
|thwart a plan
|thwart a plot
|thwart efforts
|thwart someone’s ambitions
|thwart the attack
Synonyms
foil (Often used for stopping secret, criminal, or hostile plans, especially in news reports.)
|
frustrate (Very close in meaning, but more general and more common in everyday speech.)
|
block (More physical or concrete; less formal and can sound more direct.)
Antonyms
help (Means to make it easier for someone or something to succeed, the opposite of stopping success.)
|
support (Means to back or encourage a person or plan instead of preventing it.)
|
enable (Means to make something possible, not to stop it.)
Themes
conflict
|law
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To stop a person, plan, or effort from reaching its goal.
To successfully prevent a person, plan, or effort from achieving its goal.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
2
keresztpad
C2
Usage pattern:
to sit on a thwart
He balanced carefully on the narrow thwart as the boat rocked in the waves.
Óvatosan egyensúlyozott a keskeny keresztpadon, miközben a csónak ringott a hullámokban.
The rowing club asked members not to stand on the thwarts to avoid damaging the boats.
Az evezősklub arra kérte a tagokat, hogy ne álljanak rá a keresztpadokra, nehogy megsérüljenek a csónakok.
She stored the life jackets under the forward thwart for easy access.
The old wooden thwart had to be replaced after it started to rot.
Tools were laid out along the middle thwart while he repaired the outboard motor.
Learner examples
He sat on the thwart and took the oars.
Leült a keresztpadra, és kézbe vette az evezőket.
The bags were under the front thwart.
A táskák az első keresztpad alatt voltak.
She moved to the middle thwart to balance the boat.
Water came in and made the thwart wet.
The new thwart made the small boat stronger.
Meaning
Crosswise seat in a small boat
Collocations
sit on the thwart
|middle thwart
|forward thwart
|aft thwart
Synonyms
bench (General word for a long seat; not specific to boats and less technical.)
Antonyms
aisle (An open passage between seats rather than a board you sit on; contrasts with a fixed crosswise seat.)
Themes
transport
|sports
|nature
|transportation
|daily_life
Definition
A long, narrow board that goes across a small open boat, used to sit on or to make the boat stronger.
A narrow board fixed across a small open boat, used as a seat or to strengthen the structure.
Grammar
Dictionary form
thwart
IPA
GB/θwˈɔɹt/
US/θwˈɔɹt/
Syllables & stress
thwart (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (thwart)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: thwart
- Plural: thwarts
Verb
- Base: thwart
- 3rd Person Singular: thwarts
- Present Participle: thwarting
- Past: thwarted
Word family
Forms
thwarts
noun
thwarting
verb
thwarted
verb
Expressions
feel thwarted
1/fˈil θwˈɔɹtɪd/
fixed phrase
Feel blocked and frustrated
To feel angry or unhappy because your plans or wishes have been stopped.
Examples
- She felt increasingly thwarted by the lack of support from her manager.
- Many young researchers feel thwarted when their ideas are ignored.
thwart an attempt
1/θwˈɔɹt ən ətˈɛmpt/
fixed phrase
Prevent a specific attempt
To successfully stop someone’s specific effort to do something.
Examples
- Security staff thwarted an attempt to steal the painting.
- The new software update is meant to thwart any attempt to access users’ data without permission.
thwart someone’s plans
1/θwˈɔɹt sˈʌmwˌʌnz plˈænz/
fixed phrase
Stop what someone planned
To stop what someone wanted to do or had planned from happening.
Examples
- The sudden storm thwarted their plans for a beach wedding.
- Local opposition finally thwarted the company’s plans to build a factory on the riverbank.