shun

verb

\ ˈshən

How to pronounce shun (audio)

\

shunned; shunning

Definition of shun

transitive verb

: to avoid deliberately and especially habitually shuns publicity

Other Words from shun Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about shun

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for shun

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something. escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent. nothing escapes her sharp eyes avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty. try to avoid past errors evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding. evaded the question by changing the subject elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes. what she sees in him eludes me shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence. you have shunned your responsibilities eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful. a playwright who eschews melodrama

Examples of shun in a Sentence

He shuns parties and social events. After his divorce he found himself being shunned by many of his former friends.

Recent Examples on the Web

As more people move away from using straws and shun single-use plastics, a lot of grocery-store mainstays have seemed like a necessary evil—until now. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Loop Store Will Refill Your Haagen-Dasz and Other Groceries, Cutting Down on Waste," 25 Mar. 2019 The goal is to locate Shadowlings, mysterious creatures who hide in the forest and shun the light. — Armin Brott And Samantha Feuss, The Seattle Times, "5 new twists on classic board games," 24 Aug. 2018 In the past, Buss has grown frustrated by star players shunning the Lakers in free agency. — Tania Ganguli, latimes.com, "As Adam Silver insists the NBA isn't scrutinizing Lakers, Jeanie Buss puts faith in front office," 26 June 2018 Mr Dacre does not have a computer in his office and shuns Twitter: instincts dictate his coverage. — The Economist, "Paul Dacre, the Daily Mail’s “conductor”, passes the baton," 14 June 2018 That story got Nack shunned at racetracks across the country. — Tim Layden, SI.com, "Remembering William Nack: A Passionate, Personable Master of His Craft," 14 Apr. 2018 Cities around the world, but especially in Europe, have begun to shun internal combustion engines in favor of boosting air quality for residents. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "Aston Martin will make old cars electric so they don’t get banned from cities," 6 Dec. 2018 Independence Day traditions, though, were not totally shunned. — Marissa Vonesh, Smithsonian, "How the Fourth of July Was Celebrated (and Protested) in 1968," 3 July 2018 Their bench was among the best in the league, and you wouldn't be shunned for picking them to advance to the NBA Finals. — Aj Neuharth-keusch, USA TODAY, "Describing every NBA team's 2017-18 season using one word," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shun.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about shun

Dictionary Entries near shun

Statistics for shun

Last Updated

11 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for shun

The first known use of shun was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for shun

shun

verb

English Language Learners Definition of shun

: to avoid (someone or something)

See the full definition for shun in the English Language Learners Dictionary

shun

verb

\ ˈshən

\

shunned; shunning

Kids Definition of shun

: to avoid purposely or by habit He shunned noisy places.

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

nonpareil

having no equal

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Latin Quiz

Which of the following months comes from a Latin word for “ten”?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ