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
Sacbee.com, 23 Nov. 2025
In October, 45 staffers were still employed at DOGE, and the office remained open during the government shutdown, according to a memo released at the time.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 23 Nov. 2025
Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
The American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park in southeast Denver, which shut down in January after less than a year in business, has now agreed to pay $237,588 in back rent.
—Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
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
The recent government shutdown forced the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 high-traffic airports nationwide, including five in California.
—Sacbee.com, 23 Nov. 2025
In October, 45 staffers were still employed at DOGE, and the office remained open during the government shutdown, according to a memo released at the time.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 23 Nov. 2025
Verb
A week before that, the agency had to shut down one of its lines and suspend service on the other.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
The American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park in southeast Denver, which shut down in January after less than a year in business, has now agreed to pay $237,588 in back rent.
—Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 24 Nov. 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 25 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share