shun
verb (used with object)
to keep away from (a place, person, object, etc.), from motives of dislike, caution, etc.; take pains to avoid.
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shun
1 American
[shuhn]
/ ʃʌn /
verb (used with object)
-
shuns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shunned,
past participle, past
-
shunning
present participle
Shun
2
American
[shoon]
/ ʃun /
noun
Wade-Giles, Pinyin.
'shun
1
British
/ ʃʌn /
interjection
shun
2
British
/ ʃʌn /
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shunsimple
-
shunssimple
-
have shunnedperfect
-
has shunnedperfect
-
am shunningprogressive
-
are shunningprogressive
-
is shunningprogressive
-
have been shunningperfect progressive
-
has been shunningperfect progressive
Past
-
shunnedsimple
-
had shunnedperfect
-
was shunningprogressive
-
were shunningprogressive
-
had been shunningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shun
First recorded before 950; Middle English shunen, Old English scunian “to avoid, fear”
Explanation
If you purposely stay away from someone, you shun that person. A sensitive baker may ask why you are shunning her cookies. Although the verb shun means to deliberately avoid anything, it has a specific meaning in certain groups and communities. In this case, it means to ostracize or expel from that group or community. The Amish, for example, may shun members of their order who repeatedly ignore the beliefs and rules of Amish society. The word may also be used in more casual group settings. After many attempts at being polite, you and your friends began to shun the obnoxious classmate who never let you get a word in edgewise.
Vocabulary lists containing shun
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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Persepolis
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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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:
You don't need to shun your favourite coffee either just because it's hot - although too much caffeine can make the body produce more urine, and leave you dehydrated.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Nor should it shun folks from the baking community.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
The other is strong U.S. economic growth, which encourages investors to bet on riskier SpaceX-like stocks and shun safe assets such as Treasuries.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Rather than shun the growing underground of youthful hackers, he had been attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club, where young Altair and Commodore users met to trade their tiny software programs and swap lore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
The rougher children found Francie too quiet and the better behaved ones seemed to shun her.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Shun short-term trading, and stay away from exotic funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Japan's Yuma Kagiyama, second after the short programme, also fell during his routine, but took silver ahead of compatriot Shun Sato who moved up from ninth.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
To determine which explanation fits, Hideki Asada, a theoretical physicist and Professor at Hirosaki University, and Shun Yamamoto, a researcher at the Graduate School of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, have proposed a new approach.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2025
Think Nadia Comaneci on the balance beam, Dick Fosbury flopping to victory in the high jump or Shun Fujimoto sticking his dismount from rings on a shattered knee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024
But we stood firm — my God, Shun, I shall weep—we stood firm.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
The national temperament is cautious and bent to 'shun the falsehood of extremes.'
From The Winning of Popular Government A Chronicle of the Union of 1841 by Archibald MacMechan
"A palace not fit for a King," continues the Daily Express, as King Charles "shuns" Buckingham Palace "despite £369m refurbishment".
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Rubio, on his first-ever visit to India, flew to Agra and spent 45 minutes at the Taj Mahal with his wife Jeanette, who usually shuns the spotlight.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
She shuns luxury, is known for wearing simple white cotton sarees and flip-flops, and is called simply Didi, or older sister.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Scott follows an almost entirely vegan diet, shuns processed foods, and prefers to fast in the mornings.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
“He seeks revenge, and yet he shuns it.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Vote counting was under way early Friday after an unusual English by-election shunned by mainstream parties, pitting influential hard-right leader Nigel Farage against Count Binface, a man with a rubbish bin on his head.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Lenders had shunned the category just a few years ago, with investors and analysts warning of a wave of defaults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
But one aspect of a fair justice system is for wrongdoers to face proportionate consequences—not to be shunned forever, but to be expected to own up, make amends, and, sometimes, pay a penalty.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Being adopted by a white family, only to be shunned by the Native community, perpetuated his lifelong feeling of being an outsider.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
That was the first time I ever shunned her for a whole night.
From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata
Bonnie Dilber, a senior manager of talent acquisition at artificial-intelligence automation company Zapier, said automatically shunning frequent job switchers can mean missing out on a good hire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Others accused them of romanticising self isolation and encouraging an "air of cosy defeatism" by shunning social connections.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Xi has centralized decision-making, shunning foreign counsel for five-year plans, and empowered the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
The 2019-founded company builds AI models for businesses and governments, shunning the consumer applications explored by its giant American rivals.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
It’s funny: the whole time she was shunning me, I was fixated on her charm bracelet.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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.
