shutter

1 of 2

noun

shut·​ter ˈshə-tər 

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

shutterless

ˈshə-tər-ləs 

adjective

shutter

2 of 2

verb

shuttered; shuttering; shutters

transitive verb

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

Noun

Freshen up your garden beds, paint your door a new color, or add some shutters and window boxes. —Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 9 May 2025

Trim trees; install storm shutters, accordion shutters, and/or impact glass; seal outside wall openings. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 7 May 2025

Verb

Alcatraz was shuttered for good the following year, remaining dormant until the National Park Service began converting it into a museum in 1972. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 12 May 2025

The show was shuttered shortly thereafter, with both Fischbacher and Horn largely retiring from public life. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 12 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shutter

• butter
• clutter
• cutter
• flutter
• gutter
• mutter
• nutter
• putter
• rutter
• sputter
• stutter
• utter

Kids 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