shut up

verb

shut up; shutting up; shuts up

transitive verb

: to cause (a person) to stop talking

intransitive verb

: to cease writing or speaking

Synonyms of shut up

• dry up
• hush
• clam up
• quiet (down)
• belt up

Examples of shut up in a Sentence

you have no right to tell the rest of us to shut up

nothing I said would shut them up

Recent Examples on the Web

Doing it with 10 men against Mexico or in the closing stages against Norway is one thing; trying to shut up shop against a team with Argentina’s firepower for more than half an hour was an act of self sabotage. — The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Any advice on how to tune out ignorant neighbors who refuse to shut up? — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 15 July 2026

The picture of Cardinals cool, Walker chased down Kyle Schwarber, shut up a rambunctious Philly crowd and introduced himself to a much wider baseball world. — Dan Gelston, AJC.com, 14 July 2026

In one sketch, David as Bell makes the historic first phone call, but the guy on the other end won't shut up. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for shut up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

shut up

verb

1

: to cause a person to stop talking

2

: to stop writing or speaking