Shun
/ʃʌn/ verb
verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To avoid, especially persistently; ostracize. transitive
"Acrophobes shun mountaineering."
- 2 avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of wordnet
- 3 To escape (a threatening evil, an unwelcome task etc). transitive
"I'll shun meeting them for as long as possible."
- 4 expel from a community or group wordnet
- 5 To screen, hide. transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To shove, push. transitive
Example
More examples"Shun will take over my job while I'm away."
Etymology
From Middle English schonen (“to decline to do, avoid, fear”), from Old English sċunian (“to shun, fear, avoid”), of uncertain origin, though probably ultimately connected to the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)kewH- (“to cover, conceal”) via Proto-Germanic [Term?]; see that entry for more discussion. Compare hide, shy, and Sanskrit स्कुनाति (skunāti, “to cover”).