shunt

verb \ ˈshənt \

Updated on: 31 Mar 2018

Definition of shunt

transitive verb

1 a : to turn off to one side : shift

was shunted aside

b : to switch (a railroad car, a train, etc.) from one track to another

2 : to provide with or divert by means of an electrical shunt

3 : to divert (blood) from one part to another by a surgical shunt

4 : shuttle

shunted the missiles from shelter to shelter

intransitive verb

1 : to move to the side

2 : to travel back and forth

shunted between the two towns

—

shunter

noun

See shunt defined for English-language learners

See shunt defined for kids

Recent Examples of shunt from the Web

Dier is no stranger to being shunted around the park with his Premier League side, and would have no issues being moved around to accommodate other star men.

— SI.com, "Eric Dier Set for New Role in England Friendlies as Southgate Eyes World Cup System Change," 21 Mar. 2018
Some other high-profile priorities could be increasingly shunted to the sidelines.

— Washington Post, "Why Cohn’s departure raises doubts on Trump economic agenda," 8 Mar. 2018
Gone are the napkins tortured into swans and the postprandial triage that shunted women to the drawing room while men dealt business.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "Mastering the Art of the Tense Dinner Party," 1 Mar. 2018
Don't shunt him into time limits with coffee and location limits with movies.

— lodro rinzler, Marie Claire, "What Does He Think of Your First Date Idea?," 23 Oct. 2013
In interviews with The Chronicle, the workers described a situation in which managers, enforcement officers and scientists who take pride in their mission are being pushed out or shunted to the side.

— peter fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, "At SF’s leaderless EPA office, cutbacks and policy shifts pummel morale," 24 Feb. 2018
In short, the frumpish foursome were suggesting that holders of the top judicial office, current and former, tried to influence justice by shunting cases towards particular judges.

— The Economist, "Bench pressJudges on India’s supreme court accuse the chief justice of bias," 18 Jan. 2018
With a new wave of hip-hop utterly dominant on streaming platforms, a genre once shunted to the sidelines of festivals or overpriced bottle-service clubs may finally be coming into its own as a festival phenomenon.

— latimes.com, "The Age of Hip-Hop: From the streets to cultural dominance," 11 Jan. 2018
Gradually, the ladies were shunted more and more into the background and finally dispensed with altogether as Orlando became dominant.

— mel shields, sacbee, "This show is all Tony Orlando – no Dawn, no ribbons," 25 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shunt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of shunt

Middle English, to move suddenly, turn away, evade, perhaps from past participle of shonen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

shunt

noun

Definition of shunt

1 : a means or mechanism for turning or thrusting aside: such as

a chiefly British : a railroad switch

b : a conductor joining two points in an electrical circuit so as to form a parallel or alternative path through which a portion of the current may pass (as for regulating the amount passing in the main circuit)

c : a surgical passage created to divert a bodily fluid (such as blood) from one vessel or part to another; also : a device (such as a narrow tube) used to establish a similar passage

2 chiefly British : an accident (such as a collision between two cars) especially in auto racing

Recent Examples of shunt from the Web

The shunt that was placed on his brain after birth eventually failed.

— priority health, Detroit Free Press, "Fitness Community Support: Overcoming adversity," 2 Jan. 2018
In addition to suffering with Parkinson's disease for many years, Graham's health problems in his later years included a broken hip, a broken pelvis, prostate cancer and installation of a shunt in his brain to control excess fluid.

— bill trott, Anchorage Daily News, "Billy Graham, preacher to millions and adviser to presidents, dies at 99," 21 Feb. 2018
All or part of it may be dark because of a broken filament or a sketchy shunt (see glossary).

— david agrell, Popular Mechanics, "How to Fix a String of Christmas Lights," 28 Sep. 2017
Then the tiny baby had surgery to place a shunt in his brain to drain excess fluid associated with his hydrocephalus.

— liv osby, USA TODAY, "Boy with cerebral palsy beats the odds to become one-armed golfer," 24 Oct. 2017
No fetuses have died, few have needed shunts, and some of the mothers have been able to have vaginal deliveries.

— denise grady, New York Times, "To Mend a Birth Defect, Surgeons Operate on the Patient Within the Patient," 23 Oct. 2017
After about 20 pulses, any faulty shunt should be activated.

— david agrell, Popular Mechanics, "How to Fix a String of Christmas Lights," 28 Sep. 2017
On Tuesday, his son Jacob underwent a 90-minute surgery to put a shunt in his brain to relieve the pressure.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Hutton: Football turns into a sanctuary for LaPorte coach Dave Sharpe," 31 Aug. 2017
But there are other centers that perform basic fetal procedures, such as transfusions and shunts.

— naseem s. miller, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando Health revamping pediatric neurology services," 17 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of shunt

1842

SHUNT Defined for English Language Learners

shunt

verb

Definition of shunt for English Language Learners

: to move (someone or something) to a different and usually less important or noticeable place or position
: to move (a train or railway car) from one track to another

SHUNT Defined for Kids

shunt

verb \ ˈshənt \

Definition of shunt for Students

shunted; shunting

1 : to turn or move off to one side or out of the way

Cattle were shunted into a corral.

2 : to switch (as a train) from one track to another

Medical Dictionary

shunt

transitive verb \ ˈshənt \

medical Definition of shunt

: to divert by or as if by a shunt; especially : to divert (blood) from one part to another by a surgical shunt

shunt

noun

medical Definition of shunt

1 : a passage by which a bodily fluid (as blood) is diverted from one channel, circulatory path, or part to another; especially : such a passage established by surgery or occurring as an abnormality