stunt

1 of 4

verb (1)

stunted; stunting; stunts

transitive verb

: to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress of
stuntedness noun

stunt

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
: one (such as an animal) that is stunted
2
: a check in growth
3
: a disease of plants (such as corn) in which dwarfing occurs

stunt

3 of 4

noun (2)

1
: an unusual or difficult feat requiring great skill or daring
especially : one performed or undertaken chiefly to gain attention or publicity
2
: a shifting or switching of the positions by defensive players at the line of scrimmage in football to disrupt the opponent's blocking efforts

stunt

4 of 4

verb (2)

stunted; stunting; stunts

intransitive verb

: to perform or engage in a stunt

Examples of stunt in a Sentence

Verb (1) unfortunately, an unusually dry summer seems to have permanently stunted the tree Noun (2) performs mental stunts, such as pronouncing words backwards as soon as you say them
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Even well into his 70s, Neeson continues to perform his own fight scenes with some help from longtime stunt collaborator Mark Vanselow. Zack Sharf, Variety, 23 Oct. 2024 The process can range from forcing pledges to undergo mild humiliation to requiring more dangerous stunts. Jazmine Hughes, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 Marco Bello | Reuters The Harris campaign scoffed at Trump’s campaign stunt. Rebecca Picciotto, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024 Ribero, who had zero action cinema experience going into the project, spent four months training intensively with Tjahjanto’s veteran stunt choreography crew. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stunt 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stunt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

English dialect stunt stubborn, stunted, abrupt, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse stuttr scant — more at stint entry 1

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1583, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1878, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stunt was in 1583

Dictionary Entries Near stunt

Cite this Entry

“Stunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stunt. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

stunt

1 of 3 verb
: to hold back the normal growth, development, or progress of

stunt

2 of 3 noun
: an unusual or difficult feat performed or attempted usually to gain attention or publicity

stunt

3 of 3 verb
: to perform stunts
Etymology

Verb

from a dialect word stunt "stubborn, abrupt, stunted," probably of Scandinavian origin

Noun

origin unknown

Medical Definition

stunt

transitive verb
: to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress of
an emotionally stunted child

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