stun

/stʌn/

Friendly

Word: Stun

Part of Speech: Verb

Usage Instructions:

• When to Use: You can use "stun" when talking about surprising someone with news, causing someone to be unable to respond, or when referring to hitting something hard.
• How to Use: It can be used in both physical and emotional contexts.

Examples:

1. Emotional Context: "The news of her promotion stunned her; she couldn't believe it!"
2. Physical Context: "The boxer stunned his opponent with a powerful punch."

Advanced Usage:

• In more formal contexts, "stun" can also be used in discussions about scientific processes, like stunning fish to catch them more easily. Example: "The fishermen used a technique to stun the fish before catching them."

Word Variants:

• Noun: Stun (as in "the stun of the news")
• Adjective: Stunned (e.g., "I was stunned by the beautiful scenery.")
• Noun: Stunner (e.g., "That was a real stunner of a performance!")

Different Meanings:

1. Shocking Reaction: To be so surprised that one cannot respond.

   • Example: "The magician's trick stunned the audience."

2. Physical Impact: To hit someone or something hard enough to cause a temporary loss of consciousness.

   • Example: "The blow to his head was enough to stun him temporarily."

Synonyms:

• Shock
• Overwhelm
• Astonish
• Daze
• Amaze

Idioms & Phrasal Verbs:

• "Stunned silence": A situation where everyone is so surprised that they don’t speak.

  • Example: "When the announcement was made, there was a stunned silence in the room."

• "Stun someone into silence": To surprise someone so much that they can’t talk.

  • Example: "The unexpected news stunned him into silence."

Conclusion:

"Stun" is a versatile verb that can describe both emotional surprise and physical impact.

Academic

Verb

1. overcome as with astonishment or disbelief
   • The news stunned her
2. hit something or somebody as if with a sandbag
3. make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow
   • stun fish

Synonyms

• bedaze
• daze
• sandbag
• stupefy