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
Marissa Armas, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Across the country, collections are popping up to help Transportation Security Administration officers who have been without full pay for more than a month due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Mar. 2026
The system was shut down after a corroded pipe burst near Refugio State Beach in 2015, spilling more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
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Noun
As spring break travel winds down, airports across the country are still dealing with heavy crowds and long security lines, amid the partial government shutdown.
—Marissa Armas, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Across the country, collections are popping up to help Transportation Security Administration officers who have been without full pay for more than a month due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
Even as some countries have been shutting down their nuclear facilities, others, such as China, are doubling down on nuclear energy.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Mar. 2026
The system was shut down after a corroded pipe burst near Refugio State Beach in 2015, spilling more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
Cite this Entry
“Shutdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutdown. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
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