stunned; stunning
1
: to make senseless, groggy, or dizzy by or as if by a blow : daze
2
: to shock with noise
3
: to overcome especially with paralyzing astonishment or disbelief
Synonyms
Examples of stun in a Sentence
Verb
The angry criticism stunned them.
His old friends were stunned at his success.
She sat in stunned disbelief.
There was a stunned expression on her face.
weapons that can stun people temporarily
Recent Examples on the Web
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s been a surge of stars wearing the classic pattern as of late: Jennifer Lawrence stunned on the Oscars red carpet in a custom polka-dot gown and shawl from Christian Dior that truly radiated old Hollywood.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
The 30-year-old American, who reached the 2022 Australian Open final, stunned No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final to win her first ever WTA 1000 event, and her first title at any level since 2021.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Decatur stuns Fort Worth Carter-Riverside Decatur (14-6-0) toppled Fort Worth Carter-Riverside 3-2 on Tuesday at Byron Nelson High School to advance to the area round.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
While Salma Hayek stunned in a tight-fitting sequined gown, Valentina glammed it up in her mom’s red Isaac Mizrahi gown that Hayek wore to the Fire and Ice Ball in 1997.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 25 Mar. 2024
They were also stunned to see the scenes from Parliament, where the police threw out opposition lawmakers so that the bill confirming the cancellation could be pushed through.
—Mady Camara, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Syed’s arrest stunned Albuquerque's Muslim community.
—USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
Parents who later learned about the incident were also stunned, WPEC reported.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
But a bigot on this team — this team of all others — stuns the senses.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s been a surge of stars wearing the classic pattern as of late: Jennifer Lawrence stunned on the Oscars red carpet in a custom polka-dot gown and shawl from Christian Dior that truly radiated old Hollywood.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
The 30-year-old American, who reached the 2022 Australian Open final, stunned No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final to win her first ever WTA 1000 event, and her first title at any level since 2021.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Decatur stuns Fort Worth Carter-Riverside Decatur (14-6-0) toppled Fort Worth Carter-Riverside 3-2 on Tuesday at Byron Nelson High School to advance to the area round.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
While Salma Hayek stunned in a tight-fitting sequined gown, Valentina glammed it up in her mom’s red Isaac Mizrahi gown that Hayek wore to the Fire and Ice Ball in 1997.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 25 Mar. 2024
They were also stunned to see the scenes from Parliament, where the police threw out opposition lawmakers so that the bill confirming the cancellation could be pushed through.
—Mady Camara, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Syed’s arrest stunned Albuquerque's Muslim community.
—USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
Parents who later learned about the incident were also stunned, WPEC reported.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing stun
Dictionary Entries Near stun
Cite this Entry
“Stun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stun. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
stun
verbˈstən
stunned; stunning
1
: to make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow
2
: to overcome with astonishment or disbelief
stunned by the news
stun
noun
Medical Definition
stun
transitive verb
stunned; stunning
: to make senseless, groggy, or dizzy by or as if by a blow
More from Merriam-Webster on stun
Nglish: Translation of stun for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stun for Arabic Speakers
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