shelter-in-place

adjective

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

see also shelter in place at shelter entry 2

Examples of shelter-in-place in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Spelman and Morehouse Colleges in Atlanta also briefly issued shelter-in-place orders after neighboring Clark Atlanta University received a threat. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025

In 2022, multiple schools received anonymous bomb threats, causing shelter-in-place notices or evacuations of the majority-Black institutions. —Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025

This comes just over a week after the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus was placed under a shelter-in-place order after video surfaced showing someone holding what appeared to be a gun. —Bethany Brown, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025

Clark Atlanta University said in a statement to USA Today that campus police are investigating threats and a shelter-in-place order has been lifted. —Jenna Sundel gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shelter-in-place

• aromatase
• hydrogenase
• nitrogenase
• oligoclase
• oxygenase
• plagioclase
• polymerase
• streptokinase
• triphosphatase
• abase
• airspace
• apace