shut

1 of 3

verb

ˈshət 

shut; shutting

transitive verb

1

a

: to move into position to close an opening

shut the lid

b

: to prevent entrance to or passage to or from

2

: to confine by or as if by enclosure

shut herself in her study

3

: to fasten with a lock or bolt

4

: to close by bringing enclosing or covering parts together

shut the eyes

5

: to cause to cease or suspend an operation or activity

—often used with down

intransitive verb

1

: to close itself or become closed

flowers that shut at night

2

: to cease or suspend an operation or activity

—often used with down

shut

2 of 3

adjective

1

: closed, fastened, or folded together

2

: rid, clear, free

—usually used with of

shut

3 of 3

noun

: the act of shutting

Synonyms of shut

Verb

• close
• lock

Adjective

• freed
• free
• quit
• released
• liberated
• disencumbered

Examples of shut in a Sentence

Verb

He shut his eyes and went to sleep.

She shut the book loudly.

I accidentally shut the door on her fingers.

flowers that shut at night

The door shut slowly behind me.

The owner is shutting the pub for the weekend.

They plan to shut the factory by the end of the year.

Adjective

She listened to the music with her eyes shut.

Check to make sure that all the windows are shut.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

When Gen gets up to go to the bathroom, Kat confronts Cooper about not shutting Gen’s advances down. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

But Sherman and UPenn transfer John Lista had other plans, and the linebacking duo shut it down with sacks on consecutive plays, pushing the threat back near midfield and forcing the fifth of 11 Lafayette punts on the day. — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Raelynn’s parents — Aubree Winnekens and Aaron Kubiske — shared that their daughter’s eyes were sealed shut and her skin was translucent when she was born. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

The museum closed early on Saturday and remained shut on Sunday as severe weather swept across the city. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 July 2026

Noun

Last month, two puppies who were found abandoned in a New York City dumpster, their muzzles wired shut, completed their recovery and moved on to loving homes. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026

Fluids must remain highly pressurized to prevent the surrounding rock from squeezing the cavern shut. — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English shetten, shutten, from Old English scyttan; akin to Middle Dutch schutten to shut in, Old English scēotan to shoot — more at shoot

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1667, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing shut

• keep one's mouth shut
• keep one's trap shut
• open-and-shut
• put up or shut up
• shut away
• shut down
• shut-eye
• shut-in
• shut off
• shut off from
• shut one's face
• shut one's mouth
• shut out
• shut up
• shut up shop
• shut your pie hole
• squeeze one's eyes shut
• with one's eyes shut/closed

Rhymes for shut

• but
• butt
• cut
• glut
• gut
• hut
• jut
• mutt
• nut
• putt
• rut
• smut

Kids Definition

shut

verb

ˈshət

shut; shutting

1

: to move into position so as to close an opening

shut the door

2

: to close so as to forbid entrance or leaving

shut the cottage for the winter

3

: to keep in a place by enclosing or by blocking the way out : imprison

shut them in jail

4

: to close by bringing parts together

shut your eyes

5

: to stop or cause to stop operation

shut both stores for a week

the plant shut down