stonewall
- 01 C1 Advanced
v.to delay or stop something by refusing to answer questions or give information.
v.to obstruct a process or investigation by refusing to answer questions or provide information. Ambitransitive — can be used with or without a direct object.
Simple“The minister continued to stonewall when reporters asked about the missing funds.”
In context“The administration was accused of attempting to stonewall the congressional inquiry by withholding key documents and citing executive privilege.”
UsageOften used in political or legal contexts to describe a deliberate lack of transparency.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a series of protests in 1969 New York City that started the modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights.
n.a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ+ community in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in 1969.
Simple“Many people consider Stonewall to be the birth of the modern Pride movement.”
In context“The events at Stonewall served as a catalyst for a new era of militant activism in the fight for gay and lesbian civil rights.”
Teacher's tipUsually capitalized as 'Stonewall' when referring to the historical event or the inn itself.
Synonymsstonewall riotsstonewall uprising - 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.used to describe something that is completely certain or definite.
adj.denoting something that is certain, definite, or undeniable. Non-gradable; typically used in sports or legal contexts.
Simple“The referee's decision was a stonewall penalty that no one could argue with.”
In context“The striker was brought down in the box for what appeared to be a stonewall penalty, yet the referee waved play on.”
UsageCommonly used as an attributive adjective before nouns like 'penalty' or 'certainty'.
Synonyms
“I felt the visceral anger and sadness of this story of a First Nations woman caught between cultures, robbed by forces beyond her control and stonewalled by the authorities.”
From Middle English stonwal, stone wall, stanewalle (“wall made of stone”), from Old English stānweall (“stonewall”), equivalent to stone + wall. The alcoholic drink (sense 3) was perhaps named thus because its effect was as potent as running into a stone wall.
Apparently a corruption of stone cold.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.