shut

1 of 3

verb

ˈshət 

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

shut

2 of 3

adjective

1

: closed, fastened, or folded together

2

: rid, clear, free

—usually used with of

shut

3 of 3

noun

: the act of shutting

Synonyms of shut

Verb

• close
• lock

Adjective

• freed
• free
• quit
• released
• liberated
• disencumbered

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

In the 79th minute, Germán Berterame found space for a header from close range and Kahlina shut him out again. —Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 15 Mar. 2026

But Sleepy Eye Saint Mary’s dominated the final five minutes of play to shut the door and secure the title. —Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2026

Adjective

The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have started reducing output as the Strait of Hormuz remains shut and storage rapidly fills up. —Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 8 Mar. 2026

Airports in Kuwait and Qatar remain shut, while operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai were halted for several days before a limited service resumed on Thursday. —Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Noun

Plus, in winter, homes can get dustier with windows staying shut for most of the day. —Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 13 Mar. 2026

The only person who can’t keep his trap shut is, of course, Jordan. —Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026

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

13th 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

Phrases Containing shut

• keep one's mouth shut
• keep one's trap shut
• open-and-shut
• put up or shut up
• shut away
• shut down
• shut-eye
• shut-in
• shut off
• shut off from
• shut one's face
• shut one's mouth
• shut out
• shut up
• shut up shop
• shut your pie hole
• squeeze one's eyes shut
• with one's eyes shut/closed

Rhymes for shut

• but
• butt
• cut
• glut
• gut
• hut
• jut
• mutt
• nut
• putt
• rut
• smut

Kids Definition

shut

verb

ˈshət

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