shunt

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verb \ ˈshənt \

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

In the following decades, the city carved out additional concrete channels and lined bayous with pavement to shunt water away.

— author: shawn boburg, beth reinhard, Alaska Dispatch News, "How ‘Wild West’ growth may have led to devastating flood in Houston," 30 Aug. 2017
In the following decades, the city carved out additional concrete channels and lined bayous with pavement to shunt water away.

— author: shawn boburg, beth reinhard, Alaska Dispatch News, "How ‘Wild West’ growth may have led to devastating flood in Houston," 30 Aug. 2017
In the following decades, the city carved out additional concrete channels and lined bayous with pavement to shunt water away.

— shawn boburg and beth reinhard, chicagotribune.com, "How 'Wild West' growth may have led to devastating flood in Houston," 29 Aug. 2017
Many of the arrivals were mistrusted as enemy aliens after arriving in the U.S. With their German accents, the young refugees who volunteered for military service were often viewed with suspicion and shunted into non-combatant roles.

— jocelyn mcclurg, USA TODAY, "Weekend picks for book lovers," 19 Aug. 2017
With the rain increasing, we were shunted back to downtown Havana to visit the hotel room where Hemingway repaired when too many guests showed up, John Huston, A.E. Hotchener and the rest of us.

— steve chapple, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Dual citizen gives visitor an insider's tour of Havana, Cuba," 3 Aug. 2017
Peter and Rachel Climb Every Mountain This season of The Bachelorette hasn’t had nearly enough helicopter rides, so Peter and Rachel are shunted up a mountain to sit on a glacier and dog sled their way to romance.

— melissa locker, Time, "The Bachelorette Recap, Season 13, Episode 7: Swiss Cheese," 11 July 2017
Vazquez added that BARC’s adoption agreements require owners who want to part company with dogs adopted from the shelter to return them there rather than shunting them off on a third party.

— kyle smith, National Review, "Dog-Dumping Millennial-Style, Starring Lena Dunham," 11 July 2017
Hamilton, less angry in his media briefing than immediately after the race on television, maintained Vettel shunted him on purpose.

— jerome pugmire, The Seattle Times, "Rivals Hamilton, Vettel clash as Ricciardo wins chaotic race," 25 June 2017

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

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
Additionally, despite the $128 billion over 10 years that the bill shunts towards state high-risk pools, critics say this is far from enough.

— aaron glickman, Fortune, "Obamacare Architect: The Real Victims of Repeal," 27 June 2017
During the study, over 80 percent of babies who underwent surgery after birth needed a shunt one year later.

— dr. manny alvarez, Fox News, "Surgery in the womb gives hope for spina bifida," 23 June 2017
By comparison, only 40 percent of the in-utero surgery group had to get a shunt.

— dr. manny alvarez, Fox News, "Surgery in the womb gives hope for spina bifida," 23 June 2017
Of her two operations, one involved fitting a shunt in her brain to drain the fluid to her stomach.

— sarah schreiber, Redbook, "11-Month-Old Baby Has So Much Hair, She Gets a Daily Blowout," 9 Apr. 2017
Of her two operations, one involved fitting a shunt in her brain to drain the fluid to her stomach.

— sarah schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "11-Month-Old Baby Has So Much Hair, She Gets a Daily Blowout," 6 Apr. 2017
Sage needed a shunt in his brain to drain the fluid and relieve the pressure.

— keith sharon, The Mercury News, "Is Alzheimer’s treatment of injecting stem cells into the brain a breakthrough or quackery?," 6 Mar. 2017
Sage needed a shunt in his brain to drain the fluid and relieve the pressure.

— keith sharon, The Mercury News, "Is Alzheimer’s treatment of injecting stem cells into the brain a breakthrough or quackery?," 6 Mar. 2017

First Known Use of shunt

1842

SHUNT Defined for English Language Learners

shunt

play

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

play

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

play

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

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

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Origin and Etymology of shunt

shunt

Definition of shunt

Recent Examples of shunt from the Web

First Known Use of shunt

SHUNT Defined for English Language Learners

shunt

Definition of shunt for English Language Learners

SHUNT Defined for Kids

shunt

Definition of shunt for Students

Medical Dictionary

shunt

medical Definition of shunt

shunt

medical Definition of shunt

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