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
Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026
Camera shake is far more likely when the shutter is open for seconds rather than snapping open and closed in bright daylight.
—Tantse Walter, Space.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
San Jose Unified is expected to vote later this month on whether to shutter at least nine elementary schools, a majority of which serve higher concentrations of Hispanic or Latino students in lower-income areas.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shutter
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Noun
Other features include dedicated physical buttons for the shutter, a zoom dial, and a piezo fan to keep things cool.
—Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026
Camera shake is far more likely when the shutter is open for seconds rather than snapping open and closed in bright daylight.
—Tantse Walter, Space.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
But after reopening with a stylish, colorful new interior, Calle 75 shuttered its dining room weeks later and restricted public access to the takeout window.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
San Jose Unified is expected to vote later this month on whether to shutter at least nine elementary schools, a majority of which serve higher concentrations of Hispanic or Latino students in lower-income areas.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shutter
Cite this Entry
“Shutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutter. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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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