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.
-
Her wit stunned the audience.
-
The world was stunned by the attempted assassination.
-
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
-
to shock or overwhelm
-
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
-
has stunnedperfect
-
am stunningprogressive
-
are stunningprogressive
-
is stunningprogressive
-
have been stunningperfect progressive
-
has been stunningperfect progressive
Past
-
stunnedsimple
-
had stunnedperfect
-
was stunningprogressive
-
were stunningprogressive
-
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:
Coventry City stun Newcastle United with an emphatic 4-1 victory as they win their first Premier League game at home in 25 years.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told radio broadcaster RTL early Wednesday that he had suspended the police use of stun grenades at the protests.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
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
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
Benji yelled loudly enough to stun the crowd quiet.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Reality TV star, OJ Posharella graces the red carpet with a giant bow sitting on her head as she stuns in her multi-layered colorful outfit she designed herself.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
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
That part of the call, she said, always stuns him into silence.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2025
It’s like he’s read my mind, and it stuns me.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
"We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy," Steven Cook, the top administrative official of the local school district, said in a statement.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
"We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy," said Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook in a statement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
But Warrington snuck past Leeds Rhinos, and Wakefield Trinity then stunned the whole of rugby league as they demolished Wigan on the Warriors' own patch to make it to Old Trafford.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
That’s how the stunned Rams felt Sunday night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The impressed murmurs immediately turned to stunned silence.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Antonio, the oldest, played the trumpet and also sang the Spanish version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” called “A Mi Manera,” and it was so stunning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
By midafternoon, a stunning shift was taking shape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Earlier this week, she regained consciousness and began speaking - stunning experts, medical staff and her lawyers.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Pike's stunning survival renewed focus on the ethical debate surrounding capital punishment in the United States.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
He sat panting with the stunning pain for a long moment.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
