1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 23 That cramping of the faculties,..that stunting of the frame,..cannot..occur under the equable distribution of industry.

1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 134 The chief question is the degree of bony deformity or stunting of structure which will remain.

1911 Daily News 3 May 3 The man whose education has been years of ‘herding’ in gigantic classes..often has suffered from intellectual stunting.

1914 G. Hamel & C. C. Turner Flying 212 It [sc. the Royal Flying Corps] talks shop..and indulges in rude health and proper pride, discouraging ‘stunting’ and heroics.

1927 C. A. Lindbergh ‘We’ vi. 94 The De Havilands were not considered safe for hard stunting.

1940 G. Frankau Self-portrait xlvi. 285 The stunt merchant, for all his stunting, had a creed.

1970 R. Blake Conservative Party viii. 253 The Conservatives, in spite of having a real point, incurred the charge of ‘stunting’ when they used such expressions as ‘Gauleiter Laski’.

1978 Detroit Free Press 16 Apr. (Cartoon Suppl.) 1/2 (advt.) Boys' deluxe MX moto-cross style bike... Not for stunting or off-road use.

1902 R. Bagot Donna Diana xx. 246 The atmosphere of ecclesiastical Rome is heavy—stagnant—stunting to all intellectual growth.

1907 A. C. Benson Altar Fire 176 It is this ethical prudence which is always..pulling up the plant to see how it grows, which is the weakening and the stunting thing.

1923 Glasgow Herald 14 July 7 Close on five o'clock the ‘stunting’ planes came to earth.