stunted; stunting; stunts
: to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress of
stuntedness
noun
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
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
Synonyms
Verb (1)
Noun (2)
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
Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025
As onlookers gawked, took pictures and videos of the stunt, much could be said of the meta recreation and the series’ commentary on surveillance, the nature of work and the interplay of the two in the modern world.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2025
Ravikiran Dharmavaram, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Fiscal challenges Tax rises announced by the government last fall, which are due to come into effect in April, have caused consternation among British businesses that warn that investment, hiring and growth will be stunted.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stunt 
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Noun
Davis Gates is the lead puppeteer for the union and the mayor and chief antagonist to Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, and her mean-spirited grandstanding is little more than a series of contrived media stunts.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025
As onlookers gawked, took pictures and videos of the stunt, much could be said of the meta recreation and the series’ commentary on surveillance, the nature of work and the interplay of the two in the modern world.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2025
Verb
That said, if employees spend a significant amount of time per day, week and year tracking down and verifying the information to do their job, business growth will be stunted, and scalability is unlikely to be achieved.
—Ravikiran Dharmavaram, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Fiscal challenges Tax rises announced by the government last fall, which are due to come into effect in April, have caused consternation among British businesses that warn that investment, hiring and growth will be stunted.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stunt
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Cite this Entry
“Stunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stunt. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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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