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
Erin Doherty, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2025
With both parties dug in, the likelihood of a shutdown remains high as the deadline approaches.
—Jenna Sundel
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Drivers heading north out of Miami will want to avoid Interstate 95 as the cleanup continues from a multicar crash that had shut down all main line northbound lanes near the Northwest 81st Street entrance.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
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Noun
Schumer’s push comes after the Senate last week rejected both Republican and Democratic proposals to keep the government funded at least temporarily, raising the likelihood of a shutdown.
—Erin Doherty, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2025
With both parties dug in, the likelihood of a shutdown remains high as the deadline approaches.
—Jenna Sundel
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
Fittingly for that show, Cooper’s acceptance speech aimed to shut down toxic masculine ideas about shame and just trying some stuff out.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Drivers heading north out of Miami will want to avoid Interstate 95 as the cleanup continues from a multicar crash that had shut down all main line northbound lanes near the Northwest 81st Street entrance.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 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 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
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