/ stʌnt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a dangerous and difficult action that sb does to entertain people, especially as part of a film / movie :
He did all his own stunts.
a stunt pilot
2.
(sometimes disapproving ) something that is done in order to attract people's attention :
a publicity stunt
3.
( informal ) a stupid or dangerous act :
I've had enough of her childish stunts.
Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again!
■ verb
[ vn ] to prevent sb/sth from growing or developing as much as they/it should :
The constant winds had stunted the growth of plants and bushes.
His illness had not stunted his creativity.
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WORD ORIGIN
verb late 16th cent. (in the sense bring to an abrupt halt ): from dialect stunt foolish, stubborn , of Germanic origin; perhaps related to stump .
noun late 19th cent. (originally US college slang): of unknown origin.