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
Examples of stunt in a Sentence
Verb (1)
unfortunately, an unusually dry summer seems to have permanently stunted the tree
Noun (2)
performs mental stunts, such as pronouncing words backwards as soon as you say them
Recent Examples on the Web
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
Many remote lodges, however, are stunted by unfixable geographic challenges, like infertile land.
—Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2025
Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
Our office was abuzz in July when the news of all this started to trickle out (with an Instagram stunt, no less—OV unfollowed everyone but Haney and wiped its grid clean).
—Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stunt
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Verb
Punter Jeremy Crawshaw delivered a fourth-quarter beauty of a boot, too, that was only stunted by Lil'Jordan Humphrey's failure to down it at the 1-yard line.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
Many remote lodges, however, are stunted by unfixable geographic challenges, like infertile land.
—Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2025
Noun
Speaking with Cocoa Butter about her most memorable roles, Calloway revealed that the moment Ike slaps Jackie came across so emotional and raw because the stunt went wrong.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
Our office was abuzz in July when the news of all this started to trickle out (with an Instagram stunt, no less—OV unfollowed everyone but Haney and wiped its grid clean).
—Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stunt
Cite this Entry
“Stunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stunt. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
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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