1
: a person who is confined to home, a room, or bed because of illness or incapacity
2
: a narrow gorge-shaped part of an otherwise wide valley
3
: available oil or gas which is not being produced from an existing well
shut in; shutting in; shuts in
2
: to prevent production of (oil or gas) by closing down a well
Examples of shut-in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
The Atlantic Council has warned that if shale producers lost access to export markets, oil production shut-ins would follow, harming domestic producers and global consumers.
—
Dan Eberhart,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Iran has plenty of experience dealing with shut-ins and restarts.
—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
27 May 2026
But those projections rest on several assumptions, including that shut-in oil production will peak in early April and transit through the Strait of Hormuz will improve.
—
Chad De Guzman,
Time,
31 Mar. 2026
Production shut-ins Brent crude futures could climb to $135 per barrel if the current situation persists for four months, according to Janiv Shah, vice president of oil markets at Rystad Energy.
—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
9 Mar. 2026
Her brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), is an agoraphobic shut-in failing to confront his mounting mental-health crises.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
That means overcoming Ella’s hostility and bridging the divide with her uncommunicative kid brother Casey (Spike Fearn), an MIT graduate who has become an agoraphobic shut-in since his breakup with beloved girlfriend Susan (Ayo Edebiri).
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Dec. 2025
Visitors should pair the shut-ins with a stop at Elephant Rocks State Park, about a 15-minute drive away, which gets its name from a series of enormous pink granite boulders that are said to resemble circus elephants standing trunk to tail.
—
Nicholas Derenzo,
AFAR Media,
16 Sep. 2025
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Smith estimated Iran may have roughly 30 days before shoreside storage faces severe capacity constraints under current conditions, while warning that older fields or marginal wells could already be facing early shut-in pressures.
—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
But those projections rest on several assumptions, including that shut-in oil production will peak in early April and transit through the Strait of Hormuz will improve.
—
Chad De Guzman,
Time,
31 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Hamad Hussain, climate and commodities economist at Capital Economics, pointed out in a separate note Monday that tankers need to fill up on gulf supplies in order for shut-in production to restart.
—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
The Atlantic Council has warned that if shale producers lost access to export markets, oil production shut-ins would follow, harming domestic producers and global consumers.
—
Dan Eberhart,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Iran has plenty of experience dealing with shut-ins and restarts.
—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
27 May 2026
But those projections rest on several assumptions, including that shut-in oil production will peak in early April and transit through the Strait of Hormuz will improve.
—
Chad De Guzman,
Time,
31 Mar. 2026
Production shut-ins Brent crude futures could climb to $135 per barrel if the current situation persists for four months, according to Janiv Shah, vice president of oil markets at Rystad Energy.
—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
9 Mar. 2026
Her brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), is an agoraphobic shut-in failing to confront his mounting mental-health crises.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
That means overcoming Ella’s hostility and bridging the divide with her uncommunicative kid brother Casey (Spike Fearn), an MIT graduate who has become an agoraphobic shut-in since his breakup with beloved girlfriend Susan (Ayo Edebiri).
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Dec. 2025
Visitors should pair the shut-ins with a stop at Elephant Rocks State Park, about a 15-minute drive away, which gets its name from a series of enormous pink granite boulders that are said to resemble circus elephants standing trunk to tail.
—
Nicholas Derenzo,
AFAR Media,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Hamad Hussain, climate and commodities economist at Capital Economics, pointed out in a separate note Monday that tankers need to fill up on gulf supplies in order for shut-in production to restart.
—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Smith estimated Iran may have roughly 30 days before shoreside storage faces severe capacity constraints under current conditions, while warning that older fields or marginal wells could already be facing early shut-in pressures.
—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
But those projections rest on several assumptions, including that shut-in oil production will peak in early April and transit through the Strait of Hormuz will improve.
—
Chad De Guzman,
Time,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shut-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut-in. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
shut-in
1 of 2 noun
: a person who is confined to home, a room, or bed because of illness or incapacity
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
