shelter in place
1 of 2phrase
: to remain inside in one's current location until a danger has passed : to temporarily take shelter in a protected space
The … campus was placed under lockdown in response to the shooting. People on campus were advised to shelter in place. No students were hurt or endangered, the school said.—
Julia Jacobo
Julia JacoboThese communities—including our own—need to start hardening themselves against future fires. That means preparing homes for fires the way we already do for earthquakes and floods. It also means developing better alert systems, heeding evacuation warnings when they come and being prepared to shelter in place when escape routes are cut off …—The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California)
The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California)
variants
or less commonly shelter in place
: instructing or requiring people to remain in their current location until a danger has passed
The governor has issued a shelter-in-place order.
: of or relating to sheltering in place
shelter-in-place drills
Examples of shelter in place in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Officials said a shelter-in-place order is in effect for a one-block radius near the intersection of Colusa and Tacoma avenues.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
The Challenger School, which serves students from preschool to eighth grade on nearby Hollenbeck Avenue, was asked to shelter-in-place while the leak was being repaired, Le added.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
Leaders waited — then waited — to issue basic shelter-in-place orders while bodies stacked up in refrigerated trucks.
—Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shelter in place
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Adjective
Washington County officials issued a shelter-in-place notice for the Langeloth neighborhood over concerns about a potential release of hydrogen peroxide into the air, although the notice has since been lifted.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Officials said a shelter-in-place order is in effect for a one-block radius near the intersection of Colusa and Tacoma avenues.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
The Challenger School, which serves students from preschool to eighth grade on nearby Hollenbeck Avenue, was asked to shelter-in-place while the leak was being repaired, Le added.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
Leaders waited — then waited — to issue basic shelter-in-place orders while bodies stacked up in refrigerated trucks.
—Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shelter in place
Cite this Entry
“Shelter in place.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shelter%20in%20place. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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