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
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
The shutdown, Keller and others say, was a different emergency.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch did his best to shut down the buzz around the theory that an electrical substation near Levi’s Stadium could be the catalyst for the spate of injuries that team has suffered over the last few years.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
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Noun
The road to the very long lines began in February, when Congress, in resolving a broader government shutdown (the second in four months, impressively), could not agree on how to keep funding Homeland Security.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
The shutdown, Keller and others say, was a different emergency.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
Eastbound Interstate 595 has been shut down early Monday in Broward County at I-95, according to traffic reports.
—Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch did his best to shut down the buzz around the theory that an electrical substation near Levi’s Stadium could be the catalyst for the spate of injuries that team has suffered over the last few years.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
Cite this Entry
“Shutdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutdown. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
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