Meaning & use
stunt person
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A trained professional who performs dangerous actions, such as falls, fights or car crashes, in place of an actor in films or television.
Grammar: Countable with an irregular plural: one stunt person, two stunt people.
Patterns
- a stunt person for someone
- a stunt person in something
The stunt person leapt from the rooftop so the lead actor never had to leave the ground.
A skilled stunt person spends months rehearsing a single car chase.
The film credited a stunt person who doubled for the heroine in the fight scenes.
Word forms
| plural | stunt people |
|---|
Common combinations
- hire a stunt person
- The studio hired a stunt person for the explosion scene.
- professional stunt person
- Only a professional stunt person should attempt a high fall.
- stunt person doubles for
- A stunt person doubles for the star in every action sequence.
- train as a stunt person
- She trained as a stunt person after years of gymnastics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stunt double
- A stunt double specifically looks like and replaces one actor, while stunt person covers any stunt performer.
- stuntman
- Stuntman is the older, male-specific term, so stunt person is more inclusive.
- stunt performer
- Stunt performer is slightly more formal and works well in job listings or credits.
Word family
Commonly confused: stunt person or stunt double?
stunt person vs stunt double
A stunt double stands in for one named actor; a stunt person might also appear as an extra in a crash or fight.
Practice
The plural of stunt person is:
Choose one answer.
The usual plural is stunt people. Stunt persons is rare and stiff, and peoples would mean different nations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stunt person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.