1
: something (such as a valve) that shuts off
2
shut off; shutting off; shuts off
1
: to close off : separate
—usually used with from
shut off from the rest of the world
2
a
: to cut off (a flow or passage) : stop
shuts off the oxygen supply
b
: to stop the operation of (something, such as a machine)
shut the motor off
: to cease operating : stop
shuts off automatically
Examples of shutoff in a Sentence
Noun
the utility company threatened them with the shutoff of electricity if the bills weren't paid
Verb
threatened to shut off peace talks if the other side kept making unreasonable demands
shut off the computer to save electricity
Recent Examples on the Web
Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
Thousands of people across Southern California were without power on Tuesday as Southern California Edison instituted public safety power shutoffs, which aim to mitigate threats in areas where the utility’s equipment could be at a high risk of sparking a wildfire.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2025
But now that Trump is shutting off funding, or at least threatening to, at sixty schools, Harvard’s endowment has taken on a new purpose, positioning the school to be the first bulwark against a rapidly advancing front.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutoff
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Noun
San Diego County firefighters were working to contain the Lilac Fire, one of three brush fires that broke out early Tuesday morning prompting evacuation orders, school closures and power shutoffs across the region.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
Thousands of people across Southern California were without power on Tuesday as Southern California Edison instituted public safety power shutoffs, which aim to mitigate threats in areas where the utility’s equipment could be at a high risk of sparking a wildfire.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
All power has been shut off in the area, along with the gas valves on either side of the broken gas line, Hopkins said.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2025
But now that Trump is shutting off funding, or at least threatening to, at sixty schools, Harvard’s endowment has taken on a new purpose, positioning the school to be the first bulwark against a rapidly advancing front.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutoff
Cite this Entry
“Shutoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutoff. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutoff
1 of 2 noun
shut·off
ˈshət-ˌȯf 
1
: something that shuts off
2
: an instance of shutting off : interruption, stoppage
shut off
2 of 2 verbˌshət-ˈȯf
1
: to stop the flow of
shut off the water
2
a
: to stop the operation of
shut the motor off
b
: to cease operating
the light shuts off automatically
3
: to make or keep separate
shut off from the rest of the world
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