stun
Americanverb (used with object)
-
stuns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stunned,
past participle, past
-
stunning
present participle
-
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.
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Her wit stunned the audience.
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The world was stunned by the attempted assassination.
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to daze or bewilder by noise.
- Synonyms:
- stupefy
verb (used without object)
-
stuns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stunned,
past participle, past
-
stunning
present participle
noun
-
the act of stunning.
-
the condition of being stunned.
verb
-
to render unconscious, as by a heavy blow or fall
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to shock or overwhelm
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to surprise or astound
noun
Synonym Usage
See shock 1.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stunsimple
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stunssimple
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have stunnedperfect
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has stunnedperfect
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am stunningprogressive
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are stunningprogressive
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is stunningprogressive
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have been stunningperfect progressive
-
has been stunningperfect progressive
Past
-
stunnedsimple
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had stunnedperfect
-
was stunningprogressive
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were stunningprogressive
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had been stunningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stun
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English stonen, stunen (verb), from Old French estoner “to shake, make resound”; see astonish
Explanation
To stun is to knock unconscious or to shock. So getting hit in the head with a softball will stun you, but hearing that your favorite band is playing at the prom will also stun you. If your cat catches a mouse, it may only stun the little animal and give you a chance to set it free. Being knocked hard enough in the head is generally what it takes to physically stun a person. It's more common for something that's astonishing to stun you, whether it's hearing terrible news or seeing something amazingly beautiful, like the northern lights or the Grand Canyon. Stun, in fact, shares a root with astonish.
Vocabulary lists containing stun
"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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Beam Me Up: Talking About Star Trek
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"My Favorite Chaperone" by Jean Davies Okimoto
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sterling Nasa proceeded to stun composer-conductor Justin Hurwitz and the 2,000-person audience with his flawless, impromptu performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
They erased a 14-point second-half deficit to stun the Spurs in San Antonio in game one of the Finals.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
One dog that didn’t bark at the conference, and continues to stun by its silence, is that of a wealth or asset tax.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
Kosovo, who are 78th in Fifa's world rankings, will make their debut at this summer's tournament if they beat Turkey in Pristina on Tuesday after twice coming from behind to stun Slovakia 4-3.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
At stun setting a sonic gun can locate its resonance-field only within a hundred feet or so.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Saylor has been unflaggingly bullish, even as Bitcoin’s decline stuns investors.
From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025
The outreach from Joan at first stuns him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025
REPORT: Anisimova stuns Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon finalAvailable to UK users only.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025
The enormous sheep’s head stuns the kitchen, sparking gags due to its smell and sheer presence.
From Salon ● May 14, 2025
The level of hate I see in his eyes stuns me.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
But when they do, it’s like watching a magic trick play out before your eyes, leaving you so stunned you’re stammering, unable to utter even a single “How?”
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
After being dismissed for 426 shortly after lunch, Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud stunned the hosts when he claimed both openers cheaply.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The artificial-intelligence system stunned everyone by winning their opening showdown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
A statement issued on behalf of former Leicester Comedy Festival staff said they were "stunned and heartbroken" by the development.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Rio was so stunned, it took him a moment to react.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Habaneros grumble that the money he spent turning old palaces into stunning hotels -- now empty -- was wasted.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Now that the cattle are gone, she’s seeing all kinds of native plants, such as coastal strawberries, Yerba Buena Blue-eyed grass and the Douglas iris with their stunning lavender petals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The only thing more stunning than the move was the age of the person who made it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Each bedroom is carefully designed to maximize privacy, with each offering stunning views of the ocean.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Chambers made a stunning accusation that day: He charged a man named Alger Hiss, one of Washington's most respected government officials, with spying for the Soviet Union.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
