shut; shutting
1
a
: 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
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
Synonyms
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
The fiery crash shut the bridge down for more than 24 hours.
—Mark Osborne, ABC News, 24 Nov. 2023
The now 57-year-old landmark has been closed since San Diego lifeguards shut its gates on Oct. 20 as a precaution amid high surf conditions.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2023
What happened after Patil shut his laptop and moved on from Kesapuri is also a chilling lesson in the power of video to shape opinion and the ability of the extreme right to use propaganda and disinformation to stoke division and violence.
—Parth M.n., WIRED, 23 Nov. 2023
Feminist publication Jezebel has received multiple seven-figure offers to restart publication weeks after parent company G/O Media shut it down.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023
After Facebook discovered a vast influence operation using fake accounts secretly operated by the Indian army, some company employees moved to shut it down, but executives in the New Delhi office stalled the action.
—Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
Scene Partners begins with a towering video of her face on the collection of LED screens that open and shut like a camera aperture across the front of Riccardo Hernández’s set.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2023
Then something happens: a sound comes from one of the back rooms, and the narrator has to shut the door.
—Julia Kornberg, The New York Review of Books, 16 Nov. 2023
Bryan Mena, CNN, 15 Oct. 2023
Their slack faces have the look of Greek masks: slits for shut eyes and black sockets for nostrils, mouths turned down like sickle moons.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
Laptops were snapped shut, tote bags were shouldered, lattes were poured from china cups into plastic glasses.
—Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 21 June 2023
The officer had cuts on his arms and a 2-inch laceration on the back of his head, skull fractures and both of his eyes were swollen shut, according to hospital records obtained by FOX 25.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 26 May 2023
Fitted with lockdown latches and hard plastic feet, the case effectively stays shut and in place on winding roads.
—Kevin Brouillard, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2023
Their jaws stay shut.
—Kyle Dickman, Outside Online, 16 May 2019
That said, given that several offices remain shut or working with a limited capacity, the business deliveries will likely see continued headwinds.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Apr. 2021
For the second straight year, the open and shut case for the best girls basketball player in the Last Frontier has been officially closed.
—Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Mar. 2023
Priya Krishna, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023
The Herald reported that police claimed Moen had apparent bruising on his right hand, while his wife had significant bruising on the left side of her face and forehead, as well as having both eyes swollen shut.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2023
In 2010, Eddie was badly beaten in an attack by three men at a Detroit gas station and required surgery to wire his jaw shut.
—Emy Lacroix, Peoplemag, 13 July 2023
Photos of Preston’s face immediately after the attack show one of his eyes leaking blood and completely swollen shut, and the other eye swollen and partially filled with blood.
—oregonlive, 29 June 2023
Doctors swaddled Antonio’s arms in thick casts and braces and wired his jaw shut.
—Lizzie Johnson, Washington Post, 3 May 2023
Vinson sustained a cut on his head, and one eye was swollen shut. Kyle Vinson in Denver in 2021.David Zalubowski / AP Martinez was fired, and Haubert resigned.
—Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2023
Stop 2: The hospital Left for dead, with eyes swollen shut, Rouse was in the only medical building in the city that would heal him.
—Dave Lieber, Dallas News, 14 Apr. 2023
The skin is scrubbed and washed, the cut sutured shut, the lips sewed together, makeup applied.
—Oliver Whang, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2022
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Verb
Saunders said that regulations need to be strengthened to require banks to provide a reason for shutting accounts and to have a consumer dispute process in place.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
The fiery crash shut the bridge down for more than 24 hours.
—Mark Osborne, ABC News, 24 Nov. 2023
The now 57-year-old landmark has been closed since San Diego lifeguards shut its gates on Oct. 20 as a precaution amid high surf conditions.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2023
What happened after Patil shut his laptop and moved on from Kesapuri is also a chilling lesson in the power of video to shape opinion and the ability of the extreme right to use propaganda and disinformation to stoke division and violence.
—Parth M.n., WIRED, 23 Nov. 2023
Feminist publication Jezebel has received multiple seven-figure offers to restart publication weeks after parent company G/O Media shut it down.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023
After Facebook discovered a vast influence operation using fake accounts secretly operated by the Indian army, some company employees moved to shut it down, but executives in the New Delhi office stalled the action.
—Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
Scene Partners begins with a towering video of her face on the collection of LED screens that open and shut like a camera aperture across the front of Riccardo Hernández’s set.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2023
Then something happens: a sound comes from one of the back rooms, and the narrator has to shut the door.
—Julia Kornberg, The New York Review of Books, 16 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Schools have been ordered to close, once-bustling streets in Tel Aviv, the center of business, have virtually emptied and many businesses remain shut.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 15 Oct. 2023
Their slack faces have the look of Greek masks: slits for shut eyes and black sockets for nostrils, mouths turned down like sickle moons.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
Laptops were snapped shut, tote bags were shouldered, lattes were poured from china cups into plastic glasses.
—Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 21 June 2023
The officer had cuts on his arms and a 2-inch laceration on the back of his head, skull fractures and both of his eyes were swollen shut, according to hospital records obtained by FOX 25.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 26 May 2023
Fitted with lockdown latches and hard plastic feet, the case effectively stays shut and in place on winding roads.
—Kevin Brouillard, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2023
Their jaws stay shut.
—Kyle Dickman, Outside Online, 16 May 2019
That said, given that several offices remain shut or working with a limited capacity, the business deliveries will likely see continued headwinds.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Apr. 2021
For the second straight year, the open and shut case for the best girls basketball player in the Last Frontier has been officially closed.
—Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Mar. 2023
Noun
Or the flaky version also known in his native Trinidad and Tobago as buss up shut.
—Priya Krishna, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023
The Herald reported that police claimed Moen had apparent bruising on his right hand, while his wife had significant bruising on the left side of her face and forehead, as well as having both eyes swollen shut.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2023
In 2010, Eddie was badly beaten in an attack by three men at a Detroit gas station and required surgery to wire his jaw shut.
—Emy Lacroix, Peoplemag, 13 July 2023
Photos of Preston’s face immediately after the attack show one of his eyes leaking blood and completely swollen shut, and the other eye swollen and partially filled with blood.
—oregonlive, 29 June 2023
Doctors swaddled Antonio’s arms in thick casts and braces and wired his jaw shut.
—Lizzie Johnson, Washington Post, 3 May 2023
Vinson sustained a cut on his head, and one eye was swollen shut. Kyle Vinson in Denver in 2021.David Zalubowski / AP Martinez was fired, and Haubert resigned.
—Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2023
Stop 2: The hospital Left for dead, with eyes swollen shut, Rouse was in the only medical building in the city that would heal him.
—Dave Lieber, Dallas News, 14 Apr. 2023
The skin is scrubbed and washed, the cut sutured shut, the lips sewed together, makeup applied.
—Oliver Whang, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English shetten, shutten, from Old English scyttan; akin to Middle Dutch schutten to shut in, Old English scēotan to shoot — more at shoot
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1667, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of shut was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing shut
Dictionary Entries Near shut
Cite this Entry
“Shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
shut
verbˈshət
shut; shutting
1
: to move into position so as to close an opening
shut the door
2
: to close so as to forbid entrance or leaving
shut the cottage for the winter
3
: to keep in a place by enclosing or by blocking the way out : imprison
shut them in jail
4
: to close by bringing parts together
shut your eyes
5
: to stop or cause to stop operation
shut both stores for a week
the plant shut down
More from Merriam-Webster on shut
Nglish: Translation of shut for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of shut for Arabic Speakers
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