noun

stunt

stuhnt

noun

A dangerous or spectacular feat performed for entertainment, often in film.

"The car chase featured some incredible stunts."

An attention-grabbing act done mainly for publicity.

"The whole announcement felt like a marketing stunt."

verb

To stop or slow down the growth or development of something.

"Poor nutrition can stunt a child's growth."

"Lack of investment stunted the town's economic development."

How to Use Stunt

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA daring feat performed for show, or (as a verb) to hold back someone's growth.

Common mistake

As a verb, "stunt" almost always takes a direct object about growth/development ("stunt growth"), not a person acting daringly — that's the noun sense instead.

Common pairings

publicity stunt stunt growth perform a stunt stunt double

Word Forms

stunted past tense, stunted past tense, stunts plural, stunts singular, stunts singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The car chase featured some incredible _____.

Etymology

Origin uncertain; possibly related to an old Middle English word meaning "foolish" or a Middle Low German term for a wrestling throw.

Rhymes for stunt

hunt aunt bunt punt runt count jaunt gaunt haunt grunt taunt blunt

See all rhymes for stunt →