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
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 13 Dec. 2025
That omission prompted Democrats to force a federal government shutdown for a record 43 days.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 13 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 incident comes amid a turbulent year for air travel, marked by high-profile safety scares including runway incursions, severe turbulence injuries, and the government shutdown worsening mounting strain on aviation systems during peak travel periods.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 13 Dec. 2025
That omission prompted Democrats to force a federal government shutdown for a record 43 days.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 13 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 15 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
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