shunt

verb \ ˈshənt \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Definition of shunt

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) 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

But the flood of teens soon resumed, and then the Trump administration began separating families, shunting adults into jails and their children into shelters.

— michael miller, emma brown and aaron c. davis, star-telegram, "Inside a former Walmart on the Texas-Mexico border that holds nearly 1,500 immigrant boys," 16 June 2018
But no matter how sophisticated the new AI tools become, humans aren’t likely to be shunted aside anytime soon.

— NBC News, "How AI is helping sports teams scout star players," 13 June 2018
For most of the 19th century, Hamilton was shunted aside, derided as a crass elitist intent on corrupting the republic.

— jay cost, WSJ, "The Founding Era’s Populist Moment," 8 June 2018
Another suggested that all fish prefer to be in shallower water, but when the population gets too big, the seniors get shunted out of prime territory by the youngsters and have to live in deeper waters.

— diana gitig, Ars Technica, "Ecological “law” turns out to just be the result of us fishing," 8 June 2018
Women aren’t being shunted out of politics to have children: Their kids are part of their campaigns.

— jill filipovic, The New Republic, "Female candidates are turning gender and motherhood into political assets in the midterms.," 29 May 2018
By trying to make the kneeling protesters go away, shunted out of view, Roger Goodell has assured that the players and their cause will remain out front as a talking point concurrent with the coming season.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Hell Week: Why Roger Goodell's new NFL anthem-protest policy is blowing up in his face | Miami Herald," 25 May 2018
Even the genius likes of Beatrix Potter and Maurice Sendak are shunted off to the critical equivalent of the Thanksgiving kids’ table, smiled at but not often engaged with.

— bruce handy, New York Times, "If Graphic Novels Are Hip for Adults, Why Not Picture Books?," 6 Apr. 2018
Emil Jannings is the hotel doorman whose life is ruined when he is shunted to semiretirement as a lavatory attendant and his beautiful uniform is taken away from him.

— patrick friel, Chicago Reader, "Architecture / Film / Foreign / On Video Check in, then check out these five iconic hotel movies," 16 May 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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

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 treatment, a shunt procedure to drain fluid from the brain, worked at first — but the Sooter family learned in May that Addy's tumor continued to spread, according to Yahoo.

— josh magness, star-telegram, "Boy says goodbye to his little sister and 'partner in crime' as she dies from cancer," 11 June 2018
Neurosurgeons installed a shunt to relieve the pressure and doctors diagnosed the culprit: a rare type of brain tumor - slow-growing and noncancerous, though hardly benign.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Clinic, parents clash over girl's brain tumor treatment; court to decide," 13 May 2018
The shunt was doing its work because Zara had had no dizziness or vomiting for months.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Clinic, parents clash over girl's brain tumor treatment; court to decide," 13 May 2018
Though many months of therapy enabled him to relearn how to walk, talk and eat again, the injuries left him with scoliosis and a shunt in his head.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "An Army vet and a man who survived a coma found friendship through science. Now they're graduating college together.," 12 May 2018
The baby is moving his legs and the brain pressure is good, which means no shunts.

— naseem s. miller, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando Health opens fetal surgery program," 18 Apr. 2018
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

First Known Use of shunt

1842

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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