shut·out
ˈshət-ˌau̇t 
1
: a game or contest in which one side fails to score
2
: a preemptive bid in bridge
shut out; shutting out; shuts out
1
: exclude
2
: to prevent (an opponent) from scoring in a game or contest
3
: to forestall the bidding of (bridge opponents) by making a high or preemptive bid
Examples of shutout in a Sentence
Noun
They beat us in a 9–0 shutout.
Verb
local residents feel that they have been shut out of the debate for expanding the airport
Recent Examples on the Web
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2025
The Nats’ Jake Irvin carried a shutout into the eighth inning before the Mets roared back with four two-out runs — the last three of them scoring when Vientos’ two-out bloop to right field landed just in front of a diving Dylan Crews and skidded behind him for a bases-clearing triple.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Apr. 2025
Statements about the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the Muslim population in her native Spain soon left her shut out of the awards race entirely (and hindering the chances of everyone involved in Emilia Pérez).
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutout
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Game 1: Seth Lugo tosses eight shutout innings in Royals victory
Good friends: Salvador Perez, Jose Altuve friendship extends beyond baseball
Here are more notable aspects of Saturday’s game:
Michael Wacha adds quality start
The Royals registered three hits against the Astros on Saturday.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2025
The Nats’ Jake Irvin carried a shutout into the eighth inning before the Mets roared back with four two-out runs — the last three of them scoring when Vientos’ two-out bloop to right field landed just in front of a diving Dylan Crews and skidded behind him for a bases-clearing triple.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
In recent years, that has been a way for prestigious acts to get in after having been previously shut out in voting.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Apr. 2025
Statements about the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the Muslim population in her native Spain soon left her shut out of the awards race entirely (and hindering the chances of everyone involved in Emilia Pérez).
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutout
Cite this Entry
“Shutout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutout. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutout
1 of 2 noun
shut·out
ˈshət-ˌau̇t
: a game in which one side fails to score
shut out
2 of 2 verbˌshət-ˈau̇t
1
: to keep something out : exclude
2
: to keep an opponent from scoring in a game
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share