shut

verb

\ ˈshət

shut; shutting

Definition of shut

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to move into position to close an opening shut the lid

b : to prevent entrance to or passage to or from

2 : to confine by or as if by enclosure shut herself in her study

3 : to fasten with a lock or bolt

4 : to close by bringing enclosing or covering parts together shut the eyes

5 : to cause to cease or suspend an operation or activity —often used with down

intransitive verb

1 : to close itself or become closed flowers that shut at night

2 : to cease or suspend an operation or activity —often used with down

shut

adjective

Definition of shut (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : closed, fastened, or folded together

2 : rid, clear, free —usually used with of

shut

noun

Definition of shut (Entry 3 of 3)

: the act of shutting

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about shut

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Synonyms & Antonyms for shut

Synonyms: Verb

close, make [chiefly dialect], steek [chiefly Scottish]

Antonyms: Verb

open

Examples of shut in a Sentence

Verb

He shut his eyes and went to sleep. She shut the book loudly. I accidentally shut the door on her fingers. flowers that shut at night The door shut slowly behind me. The owner is shutting the pub for the weekend. They plan to shut the factory by the end of the year.

Adjective

She listened to the music with her eyes shut. Check to make sure that all the windows are shut.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

That means federal law enforcement could theoretically raid safe injection sites, shut them down, and arrest anybody who authorized their existence, works at them or uses drugs in them. — Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, "San Francisco would defy federal law with safe injection sites," 21 May 2018 The thing Harington doesn't know, apparently, is how to keep a promise to his wife and keep his mouth shut about how said hit show ends. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Kit Harington Spoiled the 'Game of Thrones' Ending for Rose Leslie and She Refused to Talk to Him for Three Days After," 2 Feb. 2019 Facebook attempted to shut it down at the time, alleging a trademark violation, which appears to not have been successful. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Bikini app maker draws another disgruntled developer to its Facebook fight," 7 Dec. 2018 The adjustments to follower counts comes one week after Twitter disclosed that its technology was now capable of identifying more than 9.9 million potential spam accounts per week and shutting them down. — Alyssa Newcomb /, NBC News, "Twitter begins purging millions of users from follower counts," 11 July 2018 England captain Harry Kane has taken the decision to shut himself off from social media, in a bid to improve focus and reduce pressure. — SI.com, "Harry Kane Staying Away From Social Media at the World Cup to Improve Performances on the Pitch," 3 July 2018 Too little pain left a person too comfortable, too much shut him down. — Larissa Macfarquhar, The New Yorker, "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Comes to Terms with Global Fame," 28 May 2018 Metz quickly took to Twitter and shut this story down, though. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "A Timeline of That Bizarre Rumor About Chrissy Metz and Alison Brie," 7 Jan. 2019 Every door is shut, and a white paper shade covers each door’s windowpane. — Lara Sorokanich, Popular Mechanics, "What Littleton Learned," 1 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommended bond trading close at 2 p.m. ET and remain shut Wednesday, while U.S. stock trading ended at 1 p.m. ET. — Akane Otani, WSJ, "Treasurys Strengthen Ahead of July 4 Holiday," 3 July 2018 Many restaurants remain shut during daylight hours. — Kamakshi Ayyar, Time, "Your Complete Guide to Ramadan, Including the Proper Greeting and When It Starts," 15 May 2018 Many buildings remain shut or under reconstruction, especially in the Roma and La Condesa neighborhoods. — Christopher Reynolds, latimes.com, "Savor Puebla, a Mexican gem known for its food and sense of style," 18 Mar. 2018 Rachel Lindsay took full advantage of the Fantasy Suite on The Bachelor … to catch up on some shut eye. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, "Rachel Lindsay Didn't Have Sex with Nick Viall in the Fantasy Suite ... Because of Donald Trump," 7 Feb. 2018 Others remain shut to deal with damage and lack of water. — Tim Johnson, miamiherald, "Puerto Rico economy at ‘a near standstill’ | Miami Herald," 10 Oct. 2017 Many assume that schools will remain shut for months. — Tim Johnson, miamiherald, "In Puerto Rico, frustrated parents wonder when schools will reopen. It may be a while," 2 Oct. 2017 Some refineries remain shut or are running at reduced capacity, and gasoline prices have soared. — Clifford Krauss, New York Times, "We Lived Through a Flood. Now We Have a Very Long To-Do List.," 8 Sep. 2017 Motorists across Texas and the rest of the United States can expect to pay 5 to 15 cents a gallon more at the pumps, as refineries in Houston and other parts of South Texas remain shut down. — Gordon Dickson, star-telegram, "Gas prices already rising and likely to go higher thanks to Harvey," 28 Aug. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Holes in bath toys can be sealed shut with a hot glue gun or drilled larger for easy scrubbing. — Jenny Marder, The Seattle Times, "There’s mold in your kids’ bath toys (and that’s probably OK)," 12 Feb. 2019 But zip the top shut, and the intended message is loud and clear: Leave me alone. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Wear This Sweater and No One Will Bother You, Ever," 9 Jan. 2017 But when she got punched in the face and had her jaw wired shut, the show took a turn from being about body and food issues to being irresponsible about the complexity of eating disorders and extreme weight loss. — Ellen Ricks, Teen Vogue, "Watching Netflix's Insatiable as an Eating Disorder Survivor Triggered Me," 17 Aug. 2018 From car doors frozen shut to snapped power lines, here's how to cope: Icy cars Having trouble getting inside your car? — Aleanna Siacon, Detroit Free Press, "Ice storm in Michigan's forecast: How to prepare," 13 Apr. 2018 On Monday, meal-kit service Munchery shut after cycling through myriad business models and more than $100 million from brand-name venture capitalists. — Rob Copeland, WSJ, "Silicon Valley’s Unbridled Optimism Gets Fresh Reality Check," 22 Jan. 2019 Then, with your cheeks still sucked in, proceed to blow air out (with your nose still pinched shut). — Brian Sumers, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Pop Your Ears on a Plane—And Why They Pop, Anyway," 10 Sep. 2018 At the time of writing, Kylie hasn't addressed or confirmed the alleged shut-down. — Isabella Gomez, Teen Vogue, "Kylie Jenner's Birthday Party Was Reportedly Shut Down by Police," 12 Aug. 2018 His jaw was also wired shut for three weeks and permanent metal plates were placed inside of his jaw and cheek, the D.A. said. — Alexia Fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Lindsay Lohan’s Cousin Allegedly Beaten by 2 Men, New Jersey Police Officer Charged," 12 July 2018

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