shutout

1 of 2

noun

shut·​out ˈshət-ˌau̇t How to pronounce shutout (audio)
1
: a game or contest in which one side fails to score
2
: a preemptive bid in bridge

shut out

2 of 2

verb

shut out; shutting out; shuts out

transitive verb

1
2
: to prevent (an opponent) from scoring in a game or contest
3
: to forestall the bidding of (bridge opponents) by making a high or preemptive bid

Examples of shutout in a Sentence

Noun They beat us in a 9–0 shutout. Verb local residents feel that they have been shut out of the debate for expanding the airport
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Three pitchers combined for the Mission League shutout. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Sugano lived up to the hype, throwing seven shutout innings, absolutely dominating the BayStars. Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 Puk threw two shutout innings in the Marlins’ 7-1 spring training loss to the New York Mets on Tuesday at Clover Park, with his only blemish being a one-out walk to Francisco Alvarez in the first inning. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 Corona del Mar 2, Capistrano Valley Christian 0: Brady Andrew threw a shutout. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 So far, Inter Miami has recorded two shutouts in three games and allowed just one goal. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024 Oceanside, ranked No. 29 in the state, has outscored its opponents 52-10, has won seven in a row and has pitched eight straight shutouts, including Esperanza (2-0) and Monte Vista (2-0) in the playoffs. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 La Salle 1, Paraclete 0: Andrian Hernandez and Andrew Luna combined for the shutout for unbeaten La Salle. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024 Jake Cronenworth, who homered once in every 45.8 at-bats a season ago, tattooed one to right-center to end the shutout in the fourth. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
This isn’t the first time the California quartet has been shut out of March Madness. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 And after three decades as a Black woman climbing the ladder in the former capital of the Confederacy, Lucas felt she had been shut out of the dealmaking process. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 He has been largely shut out of any negotiations with the teams since the veto override. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 How big will the next bailout be if U.S. exporters are shut out of China altogether? Robert Goulder, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Netflix, similarly, rolled out its restrictions last year by emailing users suspected of sharing their login details and telling them users outside the household would be shut out. Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 5 Mar. 2024 As for the wider sense of being shut out, at least from the Western world, Mr. Volkov says there is little evidence that Russians care very much. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig's Barbie garnered eight nominations — even though its director and lead actress were both shockingly shut out from their respective categories. EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024 Many schools remain closed, shutting out 300,000 students. Maryanne Murray Buechner, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shutout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shutout was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near shutout

Cite this Entry

“Shutout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutout. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shutout

1 of 2 noun
shut·​out ˈshət-ˌau̇t How to pronounce shutout (audio)
: a game in which one side fails to score

shut out

2 of 2 verb
ˌshət-ˈau̇t
1
: to keep something out : exclude
2
: to keep an opponent from scoring in a game

More from Merriam-Webster on shutout

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