shun
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
interjection
verb
Other Word Forms
- shunnable adjective
- shunner noun
- unshunnable adjective
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.
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
“This is kind of normal operating procedure. When people get very heady, there’s a speculative tone to the markets. People forget about dividends,” and shun them in the belief they can’t grow, he said.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026
This time around, Chinese officials have so far stopped short of urging customers to shun Nvidia.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
For decades, Tomas - who lives in the small village of Nueva Oceania - had been practically a neighbour to these nomadic people, who shun contact with outsiders.
From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025
“And if we listen, the desert will take us. Towns will shun us. Water has become mud in our mouths. Food will become ash.”
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
