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stun meaning and examples

2025-09-06

Meaning

Stun means to shock, surprise, or overwhelm someone so much that they are temporarily unable to react. It can also mean to knock someone unconscious or make them lose their ability to move for a short time.

Grammar and Usage

  • Verb (transitive): stun someone
  • Past tense: stunned
  • Present participle: stunning

Patterns:

  • stun someone with something = surprise or shock someone
  • be stunned by/at = be shocked or amazed

Common Phrases

  • "stunned silence" = complete silence caused by shock
  • "stun gun" = a device that delivers an electric shock to incapacitate someone
  • "stunning view" = extremely impressive or beautiful sight
  • "stunned disbelief" = feeling unable to believe something because of shock

Collocations

  • verb + stun: completely stun, totally stun, temporarily stun
  • noun + stun: stun gun, stun grenade
  • adjective + stun: utterly stunned, visibly stunned

Examples

  1. The news of her sudden resignation stunned everyone in the office.
  2. He was stunned into silence by the unexpected announcement.
  3. The boxer was stunned by a powerful punch to the jaw.
  4. She wore a stunning dress that caught everyone’s attention.
  5. The breathtaking view from the mountain top stunned the tourists.
  6. He looked at the result in stunned disbelief.
  7. Police used a stun gun to subdue the suspect.
  8. I was stunned at how quickly the time passed.
  • Shock
  • Amaze
  • Astonish
  • Daze
  • Overwhelm

Antonym

  • Calm
  • Reassure
  • Encourage
  • Comfort