What does "stun" mean?
The condition of being stunned.
Stun
/stʌn/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The condition of being stunned.
- Grammar: stun is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: amaze, amaze, amazed, amazes.
- Useful contrasts: awareness, calm, clarity.
- Usage evidence: Stop, runner, or I'll stun you!
How to use "stun"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stun" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stun" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stun" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stun" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stun" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "amaze" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stun", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The condition of being stunned. countable, uncountable
- 2 That which stuns; a shock; a stupefying blow. countable, uncountable
- 3 A person who lacks intelligence. Newfoundland, countable, uncountable
- 4 The effect on the cue ball where the ball is hit without topspin, backspin or sidespin. countable, uncountable
"Williams will need a lot of stun to avoid going in the middle pocket"
- 5 A low-range setting for an energy weapon that will stun its target but not injure or kill it. uncountable
"Captain James Kirk: "Set your phaser on one quarter. I'll leave mine on stun.""
Verb
- 1 To incapacitate; especially by inducing disorientation or unconsciousness. transitive
"Bill tried to stun the snake by striking it on the head."
- 2 make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow wordnet
- 3 To shock or surprise. transitive
"The celebrity was stunned to find herself confronted with unfounded allegations on the front page of a newspaper."
- 4 hit something or somebody as if with a sandbag wordnet
- 5 To hit the cue ball so that it slides without topspin or backspin (and with or without sidespin) and continues at a natural angle after contact with the object ball
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 overcome as with astonishment or disbelief wordnet
- 7 To enter a stunned state. intransitive
"The monsters stun when you jump on them."
- 8 To confiscate (an unguarded rifle, magazine, piece of equipment, etc.) from an unsuspecting soldier as punishment for neglect. Singapore, slang
Example
"Stop, runner, or I'll stun you!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stun"?
Common synonyms include: amaze, amaze, amazed, amazes, anesthetize, appall.
How do you use "stun" in a sentence?
Stop, runner, or I'll stun you!
How do you pronounce "stun"?
Pronounced /stʌn/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English stonen, stone (“to astonish, stun, numb”, also stoneyen), probably either directly or indirectly from Anglo-Norman estoner (“to stun, astonish”), from Late Latin *stunāre, from Frankish *stunōn (“to thunder, crash”) or perhaps from an unattested Latin *extonāre (“to thunder out, make a thunderous sound”), from tonāre ("to thunder"; compare Latin attonāre). An alternative etymology derives stonen from Old English stunian (“to smash, thunder”), from Proto-West Germanic *stunōn. See also astonish, astound. Compare Swedish stöna (“to moan, groan”), Danish stønne (“to moan, groan”), Icelandic stynja (“to moan”), Occitan estonar (“to surprise”), and French étonner (“to surprise”), and more distantly, Dutch steunen (“to groan; support”), German stöhnen (“to groan, moan”), German staunen (“to be astonished, be amazed, marvel at”), and Russian стонать (stonatʹ), стена́ть (stenátʹ, “to moan, groan”).