shut down; shutting down; shuts down
: to settle so as to obscure vision : close in
the night shut down early
: to make ineffective in competition
shut down the opposition's offensive line
Examples of shutdown in a Sentence
Noun
the shutdown of the factory
the factory resumed operation after a brief shutdown for repairs
Recent Examples on the Web
Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
However, a federal government shutdown in October affected the allocation of federal funds and services, which may have affected his approval rating.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025
The company has now shut down half its bases, partly in response to a new Ghanaian administration arguing that over 95% of deliveries weren’t essential and 85% of target clinics weren’t remote enough to make drone transport a sensible cost.
—Bright Simons, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
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Noun
The affordability of health insurance caused Greene to side with the Democrats during the government shutdown in support of extending health care subsidies.
—Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
However, a federal government shutdown in October affected the allocation of federal funds and services, which may have affected his approval rating.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
Verb
Sinan Ciddi, a Turkey expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Ankara’s political protection of Hamas — paired with its hostility toward Israeli military actions — has created a permissive sanctuary that Israeli pressure alone cannot shut down.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025
The company has now shut down half its bases, partly in response to a new Ghanaian administration arguing that over 95% of deliveries weren’t essential and 85% of target clinics weren’t remote enough to make drone transport a sensible cost.
—Bright Simons, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
Cite this Entry
“Shutdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutdown. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
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