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
see also shelter in place at shelter entry 2
Examples of shelter in place in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
The shelter-in-place order had covered the west side of Port Arthur from Stilwell Boulevard west to areas south of Texas 73, as well as Pleasure Island and Sabine Pass.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 24 Mar. 2026
An oil refinery fire near the Texas coast was put out Tuesday and a shelter-in-place order was lifted, hours after a large explosion at the complex shot plumes of smoke into the air, officials said.
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Mar. 2026
The shelter-in-place order was lifted later that day but the unauthorized drone flights continued for nearly a week.
—Josh Margolin, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shelter in place
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Adjective
Military officials previously reported that the base was placed under a shelter-in-place order, which was lifted several hours later, after a threat was received on March 18.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
The shelter-in-place order had covered the west side of Port Arthur from Stilwell Boulevard west to areas south of Texas 73, as well as Pleasure Island and Sabine Pass.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 24 Mar. 2026
An oil refinery fire near the Texas coast was put out Tuesday and a shelter-in-place order was lifted, hours after a large explosion at the complex shot plumes of smoke into the air, officials said.
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Mar. 2026
The shelter-in-place order was lifted later that day but the unauthorized drone flights continued for nearly a week.
—Josh Margolin, ABC News, 20 Mar. 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 30 Mar. 2026.
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