TOP

Definition of stun verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    stun

     verb
    verb
    NAmE//stʌn//
     
    Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they stun
     
    he / she / it stuns
     
    past simple stunned
     
    -ing form stunning
     
     
    jump to other results
  1. 1stun somebody/something to make a person or an animal unconscious for a short time, especially by hitting them on the head synonym knock somebodyout The fall stunned me for a moment. The animals are stunned before slaughter.
  2. 2stun somebody to surprise or shock someone so much that they cannot think clearly or speak synonym astound Her words stunned me—I had no idea she felt that way. Thesaurussurprise
    • startle
    • amaze
    • stun
    • astonish
    • take somebody aback
    • astound
    These words all mean to make someone feel surprised.
    • surprise to give someone the feeling that you get when something happens that you do not expect or do not understand, or something that you do expect does not happen; to make someone feel surprised:The outcome didn't surprise me at all.
    • startle to surprise someone suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them:Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. The explosion startled the horse.
    • amaze to surprise someone very much:The size of the Grand Canyon amazed us all.
    • stun (somewhat informal) to surprise or shock someone so much that they cannot think clearly or speak:He stunned us with his announcement.
    • astonish to surprise someone very much:The news astonished everyone.
    amaze or astonish?These two words have the same meaning and in most cases you can use either. If you are talking about something that both surprises you and makes you feel ashamed, use astonish:He was astonished by his own stupidity.
    • take somebody aback [usually passive] (especially of something negative) to surprise or shock someone:We were taken aback by her hostile reaction.
    • astound to surprise or shock someone very much:His arrogance astounded her.
    Patterns
    • It surprises somebody/startles somebody/amazes somebody/stuns somebody/astonishes somebody/takes somebody aback/astounds somebody
    • to be surprised/startled/amazed/stunned/astonished/astounded that…
    • to surprise/amaze somebody what/how…
    • It surprises/startles/amazes/stuns/astonishes/astounds somebody >to know/find/learn/see/hear that…>
    • to be surprised/startled/stunned into (doing) something
  3. 3stun somebody to impress someone very much synonym amaze They were stunned by the view from the summit.
stunned
 
jump to other results
 
adjective She was too stunned to speak. There was a stunned silence when I told them the news.See stun in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: stun

Other results

All matches

Nearby words