shunt

1 of 2

verb

ˈshənt 

shunted; shunting; shunts

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 or other bodily fluid) 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

shunt

2 of 2

noun

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

Examples of shunt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Suddenly, questions about the park’s opening are shunted aside in favor of whether or not anyone on the island can survive. —Will Harris, EW.com, 27 June 2025

Those wealthy enough to pay $1,000 up front would have their protection claims heard; those unable to pay would be shunted back to face persecution and the problems that drove them from their home countries to begin with. —Bill Frelick, Twin Cities, 27 June 2025

Noun

Norris tried to go around Piastri, though there was no space for Norris to go through, leading to contact with the racing wall and a massive shunt. —Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025

Treating this condition involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of the skull, according to the Cleveland Clinic. —Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shunt

• blunt
• brunt
• bunt
• front
• grunt
• stunt
• affront
• confront
• exeunt
• forefront
• lakefront
• manhunt

Kids Definition

shunt

1 of 2 verb

ˈshənt 

1

: to turn off to one side or out of the way : shift

2

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

shunter noun

shunt

2 of 2 noun

: a method or device for turning or pushing aside

especially : a conductor joining two points in an electrical circuit so as to form a path through which a portion of the current may pass

Medical Definition

shunt

1 of 2 transitive verb

ˈshənt 

: to divert by or as if by a shunt

especially : to divert (blood or other bodily fluid) from one part to another by a surgical shunt

shunt

2 of 2 noun

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

an arteriovenous shunt

2

a

: a surgical procedure for the establishment of an artificial shunt see portacaval shunt

b

: a device (as a narrow tube) used to establish an artificial shunt

plastic shunts have been used to bypass temporarily sections of major arteries

—Johnson McGuire & Arnold Iglauer