stunted; stunting; stunts
: to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress of
stuntedness
noun
1
: one (such as an animal) that is stunted
2
: a check in growth
3
: a disease of plants (such as corn) in which dwarfing occurs
1
: an unusual or difficult feat requiring great skill or daring
especially
: one performed or undertaken chiefly to gain attention or publicity
2
: a shifting or switching of the positions by defensive players at the line of scrimmage in football to disrupt the opponent's blocking efforts
Synonyms
Verb (1)
Noun (2)
Examples of stunt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
In early April, police on both sides of the state line in Kansas City arrested and cited dozens of people participating in such sideshows, where drivers do doughnuts, burnouts, and other stunts while a group of spectators watch.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024
Ford had stunt drivers who would go around the country and demonstrate the different capabilities of the cars, according to Ryan.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024
But social media also directly competes with the streamer for the time and eyeballs of viewers—with some social media fanatics spending hours per day watching their favorite creators preen in front of the camera, tell stories, and attempt stunts.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
According to a release, Flay, the chef, restauranteur and TV host, will be featured in an upcoming Pepsi TV campaign, in-store displays, digital content shorts, stunts, a social series of grill tips, tricks and tutorials and more leading up to Memorial Day and continuing throughout the summer.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The Uni Gin Sour, made with sea urchin, is the rare stunt cocktail that actually delivers.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
This is why stunt actors always read to the end of the article.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
Police believe the victim could have been attempting to carry out a TikTok stunt, adding that her death could be related to a ghost hunting competition being played in France on the social media platform.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Moscow’s popular mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, was the nominee for Putin’s United Russia party in his reelection campaign last year, despite running as an independent before — a move interpreted by critics as designed to stunt his political growth in a city where the ruling party is less popular.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
Ozone pollution, meanwhile, can stunt the growth of trees and weaken plants, per the report.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
The virus stunts growth and development of plants leading to smaller and weaker flowers.
—Mike Corder, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
At Sunday’s 96th Oscars ceremony, where Gosling and Blunt were both nominated in supporting acting categories for Barbie and Oppenheimer, respectively, the two presented a tribute to stunt performers onstage.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
Just after the skit, which came as a tribute to stunt performers, the award for Best Supporting Actor was presented.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024
Boasting all the one-liners, shoot-outs, and stunts one would expect from the genre — all grounded in the seedy world of the '70s L.A.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2024
And stunting means that your ability, your cognitive ability is impacted as well.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024
Noun
He’s proven effective as a partner running D-line games (stunts and twists), and demonstrated resilience after returning to full capacity following a ruptured Achilles in 2021.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
In early April, police on both sides of the state line in Kansas City arrested and cited dozens of people participating in such sideshows, where drivers do doughnuts, burnouts, and other stunts while a group of spectators watch.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024
Ford had stunt drivers who would go around the country and demonstrate the different capabilities of the cars, according to Ryan.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024
But social media also directly competes with the streamer for the time and eyeballs of viewers—with some social media fanatics spending hours per day watching their favorite creators preen in front of the camera, tell stories, and attempt stunts.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
According to a release, Flay, the chef, restauranteur and TV host, will be featured in an upcoming Pepsi TV campaign, in-store displays, digital content shorts, stunts, a social series of grill tips, tricks and tutorials and more leading up to Memorial Day and continuing throughout the summer.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The Uni Gin Sour, made with sea urchin, is the rare stunt cocktail that actually delivers.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
This is why stunt actors always read to the end of the article.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
Police believe the victim could have been attempting to carry out a TikTok stunt, adding that her death could be related to a ghost hunting competition being played in France on the social media platform.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
The lack of appreciation is particularly galling to stunt workers, who risk their safety to make more famous actors look good.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Moscow’s popular mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, was the nominee for Putin’s United Russia party in his reelection campaign last year, despite running as an independent before — a move interpreted by critics as designed to stunt his political growth in a city where the ruling party is less popular.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024
Ozone pollution, meanwhile, can stunt the growth of trees and weaken plants, per the report.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
The virus stunts growth and development of plants leading to smaller and weaker flowers.
—Mike Corder, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
At Sunday’s 96th Oscars ceremony, where Gosling and Blunt were both nominated in supporting acting categories for Barbie and Oppenheimer, respectively, the two presented a tribute to stunt performers onstage.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
Just after the skit, which came as a tribute to stunt performers, the award for Best Supporting Actor was presented.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024
Boasting all the one-liners, shoot-outs, and stunts one would expect from the genre — all grounded in the seedy world of the '70s L.A.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2024
And stunting means that your ability, your cognitive ability is impacted as well.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stunt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stunt. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stunt
1 of 3 verb
: to hold back the normal growth, development, or progress of
stunt
2 of 3 noun
: an unusual or difficult feat performed or attempted usually to gain attention or publicity
stunt
3 of 3 verb
: to perform stunts
Etymology
Verb
from a dialect word stunt "stubborn, abrupt, stunted," probably of Scandinavian origin
Noun
origin unknown
Medical Definition
stunt
transitive verb
: to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress of
an emotionally stunted child
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