stunt

¹ American  

[stuhnt] / stʌnt /

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

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noun

1. a stop or hindrance in growth or development.

2. arrested development.

3. a plant or animal hindered from attaining its proper growth.

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

stunt ² American  

[stuhnt] / stʌnt /

noun

1. a performance displaying a person's skill or dexterity, as in athletics; feat.

   an acrobatic stunt.

2. any remarkable feat performed chiefly to attract attention.

   The kidnapping was said to be a publicity stunt.

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verb (used without object)

1. to do a stunt or stunts.

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

verb (used with object)

1. to use in doing stunts.

   to stunt an airplane.

stunt ¹ British  

/ stʌnt /

noun

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

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verb

1. (intr) to perform a stunt or stunts

stunt ² British  

/ stʌnt /

verb

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

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noun

1. the act or an instance of stunting

2. a person, animal, or plant that has been stunted

Other Word Forms

• stuntedness
  noun
• stunted
  adjective
• stunty
  adjective
• stuntingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of stunt¹

First recorded in 1575–85; verb use of dialect stunt “dwarfed, stubborn”; cognate with Middle High German stunz, Old Norse stuttr “short”; akin to stint ¹

Origin of stunt²

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; origin uncertain; perhaps a variant of stump ( def. ) (in the sense “challenge; dare”)

Explanation

To stunt is to slow or hinder. Some people say that drinking coffee will stunt your growth when you're a teenager — they worry that you won't grow any taller. Poor nutrition can stunt your growth, and bad soil will do the same for a plant — a lack of moisture or nutrients will stunt the development of your lettuce or tomatoes. Another meaning of stunt is a dangerous trick, the kind performed in an action movie or by planes in an air show. The root of "check the growth" is the Old English stunt, "short witted or foolish," while the "trick" kind of stunt comes from nineteenth century American college slang.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stunt

Yet in 1889, as a publicity stunt, he sent out a young San Francisco Examiner reporter, Allen Kelly, to bring him a live California grizzly bear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Lucy Munns, a potato farmer in Cambridgeshire, said the hot weather will stunt the root vegetable's growth, leading to oddly shaped tubers that supermarkets and chip shops, which she supplies, wouldn't normally buy.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

That stunt was the work of Manny Medina, who stepped down as chief executive of an early SaaS leader, Outreach, in 2024 and now has a startup called Paid.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

“That’s when you know you’ve done your job as a stunt double,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

“Can’t...explain...” she sighed, throwing herself into an awkward embrace around Juan and his little stunt bike.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

• antic
• feat
• sketch
• skit