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
Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
The stunt involved a full football match staged on a swaying platform dangling beneath a massive hot-air balloon, turning a simple kickabout into one of the most dangerous sports experiments ever attempted.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 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
If America’s true political currency in 2025 is exhaustion, then the winning strategy may belong to whoever figures out how to pay people back their attention—with fewer stunts, more reality, and the occasional refusal to take the bait.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
The stunt involved a full football match staged on a swaying platform dangling beneath a massive hot-air balloon, turning a simple kickabout into one of the most dangerous sports experiments ever attempted.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 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 5 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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