1
: one that shuts
2
: a usually movable cover or screen for a window or door
3
: a mechanical device that limits the passage of light
especially
: a camera component that allows light to enter by opening and closing an aperture
4
: the movable louvers in a pipe organ by which the swell box is opened
shuttered; shuttering; shutters
1
: to close by or as if by shutters
corporations shuttering their production plants
2
: to furnish with shutters
Examples of shutter in a Sentence
Verb
They locked the doors and shuttered the windows.
They declared bankruptcy and shuttered the store.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
On Facebook, the business explained that the decision to shutter was difficult but necessary.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 29 Oct. 2025
NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
Children’s apparel outlet Carter’s is shuttering 150 locations across North America to help generate savings and improve profitability, citing higher costs from tariffs and investments in product to remain competitive.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutter
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Noun
As for why the stars weren’t visible, that's because of the shutter speed used by the cameras to compensate for the amount of light being reflected from the sun (a problem professional and amateur photographers still face today when shooting up at the cloudless sky).
—Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
On Facebook, the business explained that the decision to shutter was difficult but necessary.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
Others have shuttered their services, changing the landscape of the refugee resettlement process.
—NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
Children’s apparel outlet Carter’s is shuttering 150 locations across North America to help generate savings and improve profitability, citing higher costs from tariffs and investments in product to remain competitive.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutter
Cite this Entry
“Shutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutter. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutter
1 of 2 noun
shut·ter
ˈshət-ər 
1
: a movable cover for a window that swings on hinges like a door
2
: a device in a camera that opens to allow light to enter when a picture is taken
shutter
2 of 2 verb
: to close with or by shutters
kept the house shuttered
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