stunned
Americanadjective
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deprived of consciousness or strength.
When the fish came close enough, they would get bopped on the head with a club or an axe by the fishermen, who would then drag the stunned fish into the boat.
-
showing or reflecting astonishment, shock, or bewilderment.
A stunned spectator managed a "You're kidding?" but nothing more.
The curtain fell to a stunned silence, and then rapturous applause and hysterical laughter.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stunned
Explanation
When you're stunned, you're thrown for a loop: either by shocking news or a blow to the head. You can be stunned a few different ways, but they all involve a state of confusion. If your mom won the lottery, you'd be stunned. Others might be stunned if their favorite TV show was canceled. Some people are stunned by good news that is kind of amazing, like a NASA flight to Mars. On the other hand, getting whacked in the head can leave you stunned. Getting the wind knocked out of you will do the same.
Vocabulary lists containing stunned
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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Ghost Boys
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Fish in a Tree
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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.
Wimbush's second-minute score stunned the home crowd, but Toulouse replied quickly through Italy's Ange Capuozzo and a penalty try, which also resulted in Exeter full-back Sam Harris being sent to the sin-bin.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
The death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal on Wednesday drove a "stunned" Lopez to lay a candle on Thursday at an improvised shrine in the Spanish capital's Puerta del Sol square, the epicentre of the protests.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
But after circling a few times, the shark spat out the bait, leaving fishermen on the pier stunned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 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
With the proceeds, he bought the Shack and the Shop, paid off his half of the construction company’s debts, then signed the company over to a grateful but stunned Uncle Bob….
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
