shun

CEFRC2

/ʃʌn/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To deliberately avoid someone or something.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To escape (a threatening evil, an unwelcome task etc).

Examples

  • Please don’t shun me because I have this gift.

  • Shun will take over my job while I'm away.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To screen, hide.

  2. To avoid, especially persistently; ostracize.

  3. To shove, push.

More examples

In context

  • I'll shun meeting them for as long as possible.

  • Acrophobes shun mountaineering.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Because of his rude behavior, his former friends now blank him and avoid his company.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English schonen (“to decline to do, avoid, fear”), from Old English sċunian (“to shun, fear, avoid”), of uncertain origin, though probably ultimately connected to the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)kewH- (“to cover, conceal”) via Proto-Germanic [Term?]; see that entry for more discussion. Compare hide, shy, and Sanskrit स्कुनाति (skunāti, “to cover”).