stun

[ stuhn ]

/ stʌn /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: stun / stunned / stunning / stuns on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), stunned, stun·ning.

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.

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

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

to daze or bewilder by noise.

verb (used without object)

to cause astonishment or amazement: She stunned in a black and silver beaded gown, accessorized with a sparkly clutch.

noun

the act of stunning.

the condition of being stunned.

OTHER WORDS FOR stun

4 stupefy.

See synonyms for stun on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stun

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.

Words nearby stun

stump speech, stumpsucker, stump up, stumpwork, stumpy, stun, stung, stun grenade, stun gun, stunk, stunned

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use stun in a sentence

Lindemann said at one point the 15-year-old tried to use a stun gun on Anwar, although it was unclear if she succeeded.
‘You killed a whole family’: Teen sentenced in carjacking that took immigrant’s life|Justin Jouvenal|June 4, 2021|Washington Post
From her mother’s front porch, she could hear the explosions of stun grenades and the cries of demonstrators crowded around the police station.
One year after George Floyd’s death sparked a movement, many protesters’ lives are forever changed|Marissa Lang|May 28, 2021|Washington Post
The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office came under state and federal investigation a year ago when staff members deployed pepper balls, a stun grenade and canines against immigrant detainees amid a dispute over coronavirus testing.
ICE to stop detaining immigrants at two county jails under federal investigation|Maria Sacchetti|May 20, 2021|Washington Post
He was pulled into the crowd, beaten with poles, hit multiple times on the neck with a stun gun, rendered unconscious and suffered a mild heart attack.
D.C. police officer who fought Capitol rioters pens letter to officials: ‘The time to fully recognize these Officers actions is NOW!’|Peter Hermann|May 6, 2021|Washington Post

The spokesman said one Park Police officer used a stun gun on the man.
Man dies after police in Virginia pursue vehicle into District following reports of gunfire in Old Town|Peter Hermann, Rachel Weiner|April 7, 2021|Washington Post
The authorities were trying to arrest another man suspected of throwing a stun grenade when Hamdan attacked.
A New Intifada? Israel’s Arab Citizen Uprising Spreads|Creede Newton|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even show ponies are not exempt from ending up in a narrowing chute that feeds the condemned in single file into the “stun box.”
Central Park’s Carriages Saved This Horse|Michael Daly|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last month he stepped on a police stun grenade as it blew up, shredding his clothes and fracturing ribs.
Kiev’s Protestors Put on Uniforms|Anna Nemtsova|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stun grenades exploded on the edges making a sound like a building being detonated.
My Life Behind Kiev’s Barricades|Vijai Maheshwari|February 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Riot police used stun grenades and batons to violently beat them back.
Up to Speed: What’s Going on in Ukraine?|Nina Strochlic|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He tole me I was to have all the money Miss Dory had been layin' up, an' he would send me mo' for the stun.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
There had come to him an introductory statement; it was a smashing thing—a thing that would arrest and stun!
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
It was impossible to align the sights of his stun gun with any of those flitting shadows, Raf discovered.
Star Born|Andre Norton
Once more the party was alert, ready for trouble, and taking his cue from them, he kept his stun gun in his hand.
Star Born|Andre Norton
The stun ray, which had acted upon living creatures, could not govern the delicate mechanism in the hound's interior.
Star Born|Andre Norton

British Dictionary definitions for stun

stun

/ (stʌn) /

verb stuns, stunning or stunned (tr)

to render unconscious, as by a heavy blow or fall

to shock or overwhelm

to surprise or astound

noun

the state or effect of being stunned

Word Origin for stun

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

stun

OTHER WORDS FOR stun

Origin of stun

synonym study for stun

Words nearby stun

Words related to stun

How to use stun in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stun

Word Origin for stun