stun
/stʌn
/verb (stuns, stunning, stunned) [with object]
1Knock unconscious or into a semi-conscious state: the man was stunned by a blow to the head...
- The force of the blow left her momentarily stunned and knocked the air out of her.
- I'll settle for a sand-filled sock and merely stun them senseless if they should as much as look at me askance on this day.
- Levi was stunned by the blow and reached up to rub his face, red from Wade's blow.
Synonyms
daze, stupefy, knock senseless, knock unconscious, knock out, lay out
informal knock for six
2Astonish or shock (someone) so that they are temporarily unable to react: the community was stunned by the tragedy (as adjective stunned) she stared at him in stunned disbelief...
- The thought of loosing life or limb stuns us into shock, and as a result we stop breathing.
- I am stunned, shocked, and as a secondary school teacher myself, very disappointed.
- The powerful film shows that the beautiful game rears a truly ugly side, which is bound to shock and stun audiences.
Synonyms
astound, amaze, astonish, startle, take someone's breath away, dumbfound, stupefy, overwhelm, stagger, shock, confound, take aback, shake up
informal flabbergast, knock for six, knock sideways, hit like a ton of bricks, bowl over, floor, blow away
Origin
Middle English: shortening of Old French estoner 'astonish'.
astonish from early 16th century:
The Old French estoner, from Latin ex- ‘out’ and tonare ‘to thunder’ is the source of astonish, the shorter form stun (Middle English), and of astound (Middle English).
Rhymes
- Turner, Nat
- Turner's syndrome
- Turner, Ted
- Turner, Tina
- turnery
- turn heads
- turn in
- turning
- turning circle
- turning point
- turn in one's grave
- turn into
- turnip
- turnip greens
- turnip tops
- turnipy
- turnkey
- turn King's (or Queen's or state's) evidence
- turn off
- turn-off point
- turn of mind
- turn of phrase
- turn of speed
- turn on
- turn one's back on