shut

verb \ ˈshət \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: shut in a Sentence

Definition of shut

shut; shutting

transitive verb

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

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

See shut defined for English-language learners

See shut defined for kids

Examples of shut in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of shut from the Web

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Friday that the government is shutting a hardline Turkish nationalist mosque in Vienna and dissolving a group called the Arab Religious Community that runs six mosques.

— Fox News, "Austria to close 7 mosques, expel imams in crackdown," 8 June 2018
The door shuts and air is pumped in which makes the human fall to the ground.

— rhett allain, WIRED, "The Many Shades of Bad Physics," 8 June 2018
And leading in 2016 at Pocono and the same electrical problem shuts the car down.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: After so many close calls, Ryan Hunter-Reay savors that winning feeling," 3 June 2018
There was Ovechkin, eyes shut and neck craned skyward, reacting as the Capitals finally advanced past the second round last month.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "Alex Ovechkin 'Possessed' in High-Energy Game 3 Performance," 3 June 2018
The store, which opened in 1994 on the corner of Bardstown Road and Longest Avenue, is shutting its doors and moving across the street.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Say bye to the original Heine Brothers location and hello to a new one," 25 May 2018
Off that same hallway, inside one of the art rooms, a student slammed the closet door shut, and held it, separating the gunman from Marshall for a moment.

— susan carroll, david hunn and emily foxhall, San Antonio Express-News, "Terrifying minutes in Santa Fe class room changed lives forever," 20 May 2018
Video shows the alligator putting up a fight before the wrangler taped its eyes shut and removed the animal from the yard.

— christopher brito, CBS News, "South Carolina couple wakes up to 7-foot hissing alligator on their front porch," 14 May 2018
Pulling Power Druckenmiller, 64, who shut his hedge fund in 2010 and converted it into a family office, clearly has pulling power.

— tom metcalf, Bloomberg.com, "Stanley Druckenmiller Defends Jeff Bezos Against Trump’s Amazon Attacks," 3 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of shut

Middle English shetten, shutten, from Old English scyttan; akin to Middle Dutch schutten to shut in, Old English scēotan to shoot — more at shoot

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

shut Synonyms

shut

adjective

Definition of shut

1 : closed, fastened, or folded together

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

See shut defined for English-language learners

Examples of shut in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of shut from the Web

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
Nairobi’s normally bustling streets were largely deserted, as residents stayed home, most shops remained shut and public transportation came to a standstill.

— felix njini, Bloomberg.com, "Kenya Braces for Trouble as Opposition Rejects Vote Results," 9 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of shut

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

shut

noun

Definition of shut

: the act of shutting

Recent Examples of shut from the Web

The airlock door shuts and all of a sudden there is gravity.

— rhett allain, WIRED, "The Many Shades of Bad Physics," 8 June 2018
As the school that opened in Miller in 1939 shuts its doors for good, the Post-Tribune asked alumni to share memories.

— meredith colias-pete, Post-Tribune, "After 79 years, Wirt alumni say school's legacy will be sense of community," 6 June 2018
Afterward, his parents found his medication in pharmacy bags, still stapled shut.

— kate thayer, chicagotribune.com, "Bipolar 'is not a death sentence:' Art exhibit aims to reduce stigma," 16 May 2018
Sometimes these cases are open-and-shut, even when words had innocuous beginnings.

— katy steinmetz, Time, "Avoiding Phrases With Unseemly Origins Is More Complicated Than You Might Think," 26 Apr. 2018
The magnetic closures prevent the doors from freely swinging open and shut, and the audible alarms sound when the door is pushed open without permission.

— martine powers, Washington Post, "Check out Metro’s Crayola-colored escalator guides and other improvements," 10 Apr. 2018
One of the men held the alligator's jaws together until its mouth could be tied shut.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "College students jeered at a dead alligator found in bushes on campus. It wasn't dead | Charlotte Observer," 27 May 2018
Batey was in a house in the 1800 block of East 19th Avenue under a wooden bench in a room with the door propped shut with a dresser.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "'Done and over with': Families find closure after Darren Vann, who killed 7 in Gary area, sentenced to life," 25 May 2018
The handcuffs on his belt quickly snapped shut, locking him to the rail.

— The Economist, "How the career of the British bobby is changing," 24 May 2018

First Known Use of shut

1667

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SHUT Defined for English Language Learners

shut

verb

Definition of shut for English Language Learners

: to close (something)
: to become closed
: to stop the services or activities of (a business, school, etc.) for a period of time or forever

shut

adjective

Definition of shut for English Language Learners

: not open
: not operating or open to the public

SHUT Defined for Kids

shut

verb \ ˈshət \

Definition of shut for Students

shut; shutting

1 : to close or become closed

She shut the book loudly.

The door shuts by itself.

2 : to stop or cause to stop operation

She shut down the computer.

Shut off the TV.

3 : to confine by or as if by enclosing or by blocking the way out

Guards shut the thieves in a jail cell.

4 : to close by bringing parts together

Don't look! Shut your eyes!

— shut out

1 : to keep (something) from entering

Curtains shut out the sun.

2 : to keep (an opponent) from scoring in a game

— shut up

: to stop talking

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See words that rhyme with shut Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shut Spanish Central: Translation of shut Nglish: Translation of shut for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shut for Arabic speakers

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shut

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shut

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SHUT Defined for English Language Learners

shut

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shut

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