stun

1 of 2

verb

ˈstən 

stunned; stunning

transitive verb

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

stun

2 of 2

noun

: the effect of something that stuns : shock

Synonyms of stun

Verb

• daze
• paralyze
• rock
• hit

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

Verb

Sabrina Carpenter stunned in a pantsless look at the 2026 MTV VMAs on September 27. — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026

André Luiz and Calvin Harris scored first-half goals to back the first career clean sheet from Stefan Cleveland and Sporting Kansas City stunned the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on Saturday night. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026

When Arisa proclaims herself a Faithful, Michael looks hilariously stunned, and Alan tells them to weep for the fall of innocence and the failure of justice. — Alice Burton, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

In Milan, Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson and Jordyn Woods made stylish appearances at Vogue World, while in Los Angeles, Issa Rae and Lauren Graham stunned at Variety’s 2026 Power of Women event. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English stonen, stunen, from Anglo-French estoner — more at astonish

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1727, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stun

• stun grenade
• stun gun

Rhymes for stun

• bun
• done
• dun
• fun
• gun
• hun
• jun
• none
• nun
• one
• pun
• run

Kids Definition

stun

verb

ˈstən

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

ˈstən 

stunned; stunning

: to make senseless, groggy, or dizzy by or as if by a blow