stonewalling
stonewalling — verb
- stonewallingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- stonewallings3rd person singular
- stonewallinging-ing form
- stonewallingedpast simple
1. to deliberately slow or block the progress of a discussion, inquiry, or process
to deliberately slow or block the progress of a discussion, inquiry, or process through a stubborn refusal to give information, reply to questions, or participate in any helpful way — for instance, a politician who will not respond to any questions about a scandal, or a company that keeps documents hidden from inspectors.
When reporters asked about the missing funds, the CEO simply stonewalled and refused to comment.
stonewall (no object) — typical pattern for public figures under pressure
The company has been stonewalling the investigation by hiding financial records from the auditors.
stonewall + noun phrase (investigation, committee, inquiry)
Bilal asked his manager about the budget cuts, but she stonewalled and changed the subject.
For months, the city council stonewalled on releasing the accident report to the public.
- obstruct
more general; can refer to any physical or procedural blocking
- delay
weaker; delay just makes something slower, stonewalling suggests deliberate refusal
- stall
similar but can be temporary; stonewalling implies a firmer refusal to engage
- block
direct and forceful; may involve active opposition rather than passive refusal
文法句型
stonewall (no object) — to refuse to cooperate
stonewall + noun phrase — to block an investigation or inquiry
用法筆記
Common in political, legal, and journalistic contexts. Frequently used with prepositions 'on' (to stonewall on an issue), 'over' (to stonewall over a question), or 'about' (to stonewall about something). The transitivity depends on whether a direct object is specified — 'the senator stonewalled' (intransitive) vs. 'the senator stonewalled the committee' (transitive).
常見錯誤
2. in cricket, to play in a very defensive way by protecting the wicket and not try
in cricket, to play in a very defensive way by protecting the wicket and not trying to score runs — used when describing a batter who focuses entirely on not getting out.
In a test match, the batter decided to stonewall by blocking every ball instead of trying to score.
stonewall (no object) — cricket context; 'by blocking every ball' clarifies the defensive tactic
Aaron watched the batsman stonewall through the entire afternoon session without scoring a single run.
The visiting team chose to stonewall, blocking every ball to earn a draw rather than lose.
Rachid read about a match where the last batter stonewalled for two hours to save the game.
- defend
more general cricket term; stonewalling emphasises extreme defensiveness
- attack
in cricket, to play aggressively and try to score runs
文法句型
stonewall (no object) — in cricket, to play defensively
用法筆記
This sense is specific to cricket. Distinguish from sense 1 (DELIBERATE OBSTRUCTION), where stonewalling is about refusing to cooperate — in cricket it simply describes a defensive playing style without any implication of dishonesty.
常見錯誤
stonewalling — noun
1. a low fence or wall built from stones, often used to mark the boundary of a fiel
a low fence or wall built from stones, often used to mark the boundary of a field, garden, or piece of land.
The farmer spent the weekend learning traditional stonewalling techniques to repair his field boundaries.
stonewalling as uncountable noun — the craft of building stone walls
The crumbling stonewalling along the lane was built by the Wei family a century ago.
stonewalling as a noun — the physical stone wall itself
Andrei learned traditional stonewalling from his grandfather and rebuilt the barn's collapsed fence.
The stonewalling on the hill farm is two centuries old and still keeps the sheep inside.
- stone wall
more common form; 'stonewalling' is the gerund noun
- dry-stone wall
specific type built without cement or mortar
用法筆記
Commonly written as two words ('stone walling') or hyphenated ('stone-walling') in this literal sense. The compound 'dry-stone walling' refers to walls built without mortar.
2. a situation in which progress is completely blocked by an immovable obstacle — u
a situation in which progress is completely blocked by an immovable obstacle — used figuratively to describe an obstruction in public affairs, negotiations, or decision-making.
The peace talks met with stonewalling from both sides, and no agreement was reached.
met with stonewalling — typical collocation for negotiations and talks
There was complete stonewalling on every proposal for healthcare reform at the committee meeting.
Owen described the budget negotiations as pure stonewalling that wasted three months of government time.
The education reform faced stonewalling in parliament and never made it past the first reading.
- breakthrough
a sudden important advance or development
- progress
forward movement toward a goal
用法筆記
Overlaps in meaning with verb sense 1 (DELIBERATE OBSTRUCTION) but is used as a noun referring to the obstruction itself rather than the action of obstructing. Typically uncountable and used with verbs like 'meet with', 'face', or 'encounter'.