stun

[ stuhn ]

verb (used with object)

, stunned, stun·ning.

1. 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.

2. to astonish; astound; amaze:

   Her wit stunned the audience.

3. to shock; overwhelm:

   The world was stunned by the attempted assassination.

4. to daze or bewilder by noise.

   Synonyms: stupefy

verb (used without object)

1. to cause astonishment or amazement:

   She stunned in a black and silver beaded gown, accessorized with a sparkly clutch.

noun

1. the act of stunning.
2. the condition of being stunned.

stun

/ stʌn /

verb

1. to render unconscious, as by a heavy blow or fall
2. to shock or overwhelm
3. to surprise or astound

noun

1. the state or effect of being stunned

Word History and Origins

Origin of stun¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English stonen, stunen (verb), from Old French estoner “to shake, make resound”; astonish

Word History and Origins

Origin of stun¹

C13 stunen, from Old French estoner to daze, stupefy, from Vulgar Latin extonāre (unattested), from Latin ex- ¹+ tonāre to thunder

Synonym Study

See shock ¹.

Example Sentences

But the atrocities described in the report have not ceased: For example, the stun grenade dropped on a polio vaccination clinic during a humanitarian pause, wounding several children.

From Salon

Montana Longcrier caught a six-yard touchdown pass with no time on the clock and Mia LaRosa snared the ensuing one-point conversion pass from Addyson Wink as Troy scored three times in the last two minutes to stun San Clemente 33-32 in the first game of the day.

From Los Angeles Times

Top-seeded Long Beach Poly, which scored 18 unanswered points in the second half to stun Esperanza in the quarterfinals, will face Northwood while Edison hosts Trabuco Hills in the Division 2 semifinals Monday.

From Los Angeles Times

A change in quarterback helped the lowly Cleveland Browns stun the red-hot Baltimore Ravens, while the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers both won with the last kick of their games.

From BBC

As April testified, in February of 1998, Terry broke into April’s home with multiple weapons including a gun, stun gun, billy club, and pepper spray.

From Slate

Related Words

• amaze
• astonish
• astound
• bemuse
• bewilder
• confound
• confuse
• daze
• dumbfound
• flabbergast
• knock out
• overcome
• overpower
• overwhelm
• paralyze
• rock
• shake up
• surprise