Astound: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：stun with surprise (astound)

astound 🔊

/əˈstaʊnd/

vt.

To make someone feel extremely surprised or amazed by something that is hard to believe.

Astound definition illustrated by a child amazed at a magician's dove trick

stun with surprise 🔊

➕

/stʌn wɪð sərˈpraɪz/

vt.

To cause someone to feel a powerful sense of shock, wonder, or disbelief.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'ex-' (completely) + 'tonare' (to thunder), evolving to Middle English 'astonien'.

💡 Mnemonic

A STOUNding surprise hits you like a clap of thunder, leaving you in Awe + STUNNED.

📖 Example

The fact that my toddler sister tied her own shoelaces astounded me. 🔊 The fact that my toddler sister tied her own shoelaces stunned me with surprise.

🔗 Collocations

astound the world – to shock or amaze people globally with an achievement

be astounded by – to be filled with great surprise because of something

astounding speed – an incredibly fast pace that causes amazement

🔄 Synonyms

amaze (vt.) – to surprise someone very much

stagger (vt.) – to astonish or deeply shock

astonish (vt.) – to fill with sudden wonder or surprise

🚫 Antonyms

bore (vt.) – to make someone feel weary and uninterested

expect (vt.) – to regard something as likely to happen, removing the element of surprise

🌱 Derivatives

astounding (adj.) – causing astonishment or amazement

astoundingly (adv.) – in an astonishing manner

📖 Cultural Story

Originates from the Latin 'extonare', meaning 'to strike with thunder'. It entered English via Old French 'estoner', emphasizing a shock so profound it feels like a physical blow. The word retains its core sense of overwhelming surprise.