shut; shutting
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
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
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
Chaewon Chung
december 11, Sacbee.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Other malls seem to be resisting this movement altogether, standing sentinel with their faux-brick tiling and plastic ferns, even as vendors abandon ship and their kiosks clank shut for the last time, having sold their final mutton roll or polyester-blend nightgown.
—Hazlitt, 10 Dec. 2025
Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
Local roads, including South Topeka Avenue, were closed and were expected to remain shut through Saturday night for investigation purposes, local news station WIBW reported.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Tom Burrows, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
The woman was bleeding heavily from her right eye and nose, and her left eye was swollen shut.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shut
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The fishery has been closed since 2018, when the commission shut it down in response to a dramatic population decline along Northern California’s coastline, prompting regulators to enact what was initially intended to be a temporary ban.
—Chaewon Chung
december 11, Sacbee.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Other malls seem to be resisting this movement altogether, standing sentinel with their faux-brick tiling and plastic ferns, even as vendors abandon ship and their kiosks clank shut for the last time, having sold their final mutton roll or polyester-blend nightgown.
—Hazlitt, 10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
While most parks will be re-opening, some may remain shut due to prescheduled closures.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
Local roads, including South Topeka Avenue, were closed and were expected to remain shut through Saturday night for investigation purposes, local news station WIBW reported.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Noun
The January window shut with Mbappe’s future still unclear.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
The woman was bleeding heavily from her right eye and nose, and her left eye was swollen shut.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shut
Cite this Entry
“Shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
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