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 adds up to over two and a half hours more shut-eye per week! — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Here’s All the Proof I Need That Bed-Makers Are Better at Everything," 8 Apr. 2019 But by the early ’50s, a copyright infringement lawsuit from DC Comics finally caught up to Captain Marvel’s publisher, Fawcett Comics, shutting the character down. — Jake Coyle, The Seattle Times, "Nodding to ‘Big,’ ‘Shazam!’ brings the superhero down a size," 30 Mar. 2019 Winning my lawsuit would be ideal, but making the difference and making the change and not keeping my mouth shut [is my goal]. — Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Trump Accuser Alva Johnson Speaks About Being Believed, Standing Her Ground, and Her Lawsuit," 11 Mar. 2019 My role model is Sir Lady Java, a stunning dancer who fought for her right to perform in the late ’60s, when the government shut her down for taking the stage as a trans woman. — Marie Claire, "Deep Dives," 7 Mar. 2019 Plenty of ants have mandibles that quickly snap shut, but the Dracula ant's appeared to work differently. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "The Dracula Ant's Lightning Mandibles Make It the Fastest Animal in the World," 12 Dec. 2018 There is nothing aside from backlash to stop them from deplatforming, say, tech critics or politicians who call for shutting tax loopholes for massive corporations. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "A majority of Americans don’t think social networks are good for the world," 21 Nov. 2018 Luckily, all that positivity seems to have shut the troll down. — Tess Kornfeld, Glamour, "Gabrielle Union Just Clapped Back at a Troll Telling Her to 'Dress Her Age'," 29 Dec. 2018 Trumbull filmed those in the hallways outside the offices of the very MGM executives, including CEO David Begelman, who had tried to shut the production down. — Eleanor Hildebrandt, Popular Mechanics, "The True Story of the Lost Sci-Fi Movie "Brainstorm," Natalie Wood’s Last Film," 21 Dec. 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

Its auto shut-off feature powers down the base if untouched for more than 8 minutes. — Sarah Bogdan, Good Housekeeping, "5 Best Cordless Irons to Buy in 2019, According to Cleaning Experts," 15 Feb. 2019 Training and other administrative functions will remain shut, with employees furloughed. — Richard Rubin, WSJ, "More Than Half of IRS Employees to Work During Tax-Filing Season, Treasury Says," 15 Jan. 2019 After five to seven weeks, Mah found the extra shut-eye correlated with a 9 percent boost in both their free-throw and three-point accuracy and a 0.7-second improvement on a grueling 282-foot sprint drill. — Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, "How Science Helps the Warriors Sleep Their Way to Success," 8 June 2018 All the service aspects of Polaris, including Saks Fifth Avenue bedding and faster meal service for passengers who want as much in-flight shut-eye as possible, were introduced in December 2016. — Lauren Zumbach, chicagotribune.com, "United speeds rollout of lie-flat seats, other Polaris business-class perks," 25 Apr. 2018 Shiffrin has always put great stock in shut-eye, and is known as a serial napper, regularly catching quick sleeps in ski lodges and chair lifts. — Sean Gregory / Pyeongchang, Time, "Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Jacobellis and the Utter Agony of Fourth Place at the Olympics," 16 Feb. 2018 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

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.