stun

[ stuhn ]
See synonyms for: stunstunnedstunningstuns on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),stunned, stun·ning.
  1. to deprive of consciousness or strength by or as if by a blow, fall, etc.: The blow to his jaw stunned him for a moment.

  2. to astonish; astound; amaze: Her wit stunned the audience.

  1. to shock; overwhelm: The world was stunned by the attempted assassination.

  2. to daze or bewilder by noise.

verb (used without object)
  1. to cause astonishment or amazement: She stunned in a black and silver beaded gown, accessorized with a sparkly clutch.

noun
  1. the act of stunning.

  2. the condition of being stunned.

Origin of stun

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English stonen, stunen (verb), from Old French estoner “to shake, make resound”; see astonish

synonym study For stun

2, 3. See shock1.

Other words for stun

Words Nearby stun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use stun in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stun

stun

/ (stʌn) /


verbstuns, stunning or stunned (tr)
  1. to render unconscious, as by a heavy blow or fall

  2. to shock or overwhelm

  1. to surprise or astound

noun
  1. the state or effect of being stunned

Origin of stun

1
C13 stunen, from Old French estoner to daze, stupefy, from Vulgar Latin extonāre (unattested), from Latin ex- 1 + tonāre to thunder

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012