Meaning & use

stonewall

verb·Advanced

To deliberately delay, block, or refuse to cooperate with a request, question, or investigation.

See it in a sentence

The committee accused the executive of trying to stonewall their investigation into the missing funds.

Reporters grew frustrated when officials continued to stonewall every question about the incident.

A note on using this word

Stonewall is often used in political or legal contexts to describe evasive, uncooperative behavior rather than a simple refusal.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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