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stunt

[stuhnt]

verb (used with object)

to stop, slow down, or hinder the growth or development of; dwarf: A harsh climate stunted the trees. Brutal treatment in childhood stunted his personality.

noun

a stop or hindrance in growth or development.

arrested development.

a plant or animal hindered from attaining its proper growth.

Plant Pathology. a disease of plants, characterized by a dwarfing or stunting of the plant.

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Stunt is one of our favorite verbs.

So is absquatulate. Does it mean:

to flee; abscond:

chat, to converse

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Origin:
1575–85; v. use of dial. stunt dwarfed, stubborn (Middle English; Old English: stupid); cognate with Middle High German stunz, Old Norse stuttr short; akin to stint¹

Related forms

stunt·ing·ly, adverb

stunt·y, adjective

Example Sentences

Students at stunt driving school learn skills that should never, ever be tried on the public roads.

Tweed cautions readers without college-leadership experience not to try to replicate this stunt.

They now they call me the guru of stunt entertainment chainsaw art.

EXPAND

Students at stunt driving school learn skills that should never, ever be tried on the public roads.

Tweed cautions readers without college-leadership experience not to try to replicate this stunt.

They now they call me the guru of stunt entertainment chainsaw art.

With car headlights illuminating the blacktop stage, the sport bike riding crew was putting on an amazing display of stunt riding.

Severe infections can also cause anemia and stunt the growth of children.

During filming, stunt doubles were used when the car was flying or sailing.

Stunt drivers taking a turn for the worse is nothing new in action films.

It's a publicity stunt and has nothing to do with education.

Wal-Mart's critics dismiss the move as a publicity stunt.

He was fresh out of the military and starting a career as a stunt photographer when he was asked to help out on a joust.

The article mention that the drugs stunt growth of children by affecting the pituitary gland.

It's definitely a stunt dog, but it's surprisingly satisfying in certain situations.

Efforts to regulate playground equipment to prevent injuries may stunt emotional development, a new study suggests.

Women should not be admitted to college, since study will stunt their reproductive organs.

There's the rub, for one man's brilliant prank is another's mindless stunt.

Two years later, a horrified crowd sees the stunt artist's parachute fail.

The trial itself was a circus, largely a publicity stunt for the county.

Gastell's involvement has strengthened speculation that the song is a government-sponsored publicity stunt.

Fournier has attempted his stunt twice, but technical and weather-related problems foiled the efforts before he left the ground.

The onus isn't on his detractors to prove that this stunt was a really, really bad decision.

Perhaps the whole thing is a clever publicity stunt to draw attention to a struggling historical theme park.

He should have been sentenced more time for that stunt.

The helmet is a marketing stunt for a razor blade company.

First off, the scientific consensus is that manned space flight has been a great publicity stunt boondoggle.

Fluctuating energy prices can stunt economic growth, costing a country jobs.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

a performance displaying a person's skill or dexterity, as in athletics; feat: an acrobatic stunt.

any remarkable feat performed chiefly to attract attention: The kidnapping was said to be a publicity stunt.

verb (used without object)

to do a stunt or stunts.

Television Slang. to add specials, miniseries, etc., to a schedule of programs, especially so as to increase ratings.

verb (used with object)

to use in doing stunts: to stunt an airplane.

Origin:
1890–95, Americanism; origin uncertain

Link To stunt

Collins

World English Dictionary

stunt¹ (stʌnt)

—vb
1.	(tr) to prevent or impede the growth or development of (a plant, animal, etc)

—n
2.	the act or an instance of stunting
3.	a person, animal, or plant that has been stunted

[C17 (as vb: to check the growth of): perhaps from C15 stont of short duration, from Old English stunt simple, foolish; sense probably influenced by Old Norse stuttr short in stature, dwarfed]

'stunted¹

—*adj*

'stuntedness¹

—n

stunt² (stʌnt)

—n
1.	an acrobatic, dangerous, or spectacular action
2.	an acrobatic or dangerous piece of action in a film or television programme
3.	anything spectacular or unusual done to gain publicity

—vb
4.	(intr) to perform a stunt or stunts

[C19: US student slang, of unknown origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

stunt

"check in growth, dwarf," 1659, verb use of M.E. adj. stunnt "foolish," from O.E. stunt "short-witted, foolish" (cf. stuntspræc "foolish talk"), from P.Gmc. *stuntaz (cf. O.N. stuttr "short"), from the root of stump.

EXPAND

stunt

"feat to attract attention," 1878, Amer.Eng. college sports slang, of uncertain origin. Speculated to be a variant of colloq. stump "dare, challenge" (1871), or of Ger. stunde, lit. "hour." The movie stunt man is attested from 1930.

COLLAPSE

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Matching Quote

"An aesthetic movement with a revolutionary dynamism and no popular appeal should proceed quite otherwise than by public scandal, publicity stunt, noisy expulsion and excommunication."

-Cyril Connolly

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