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

Also, the Last Call at Grapevine Mills will shutter. —Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026

Wright signed the emergency order one day before Tri-State planned to shutter Unit 1. —Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2026

Verb

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates told Fortune first about their plans to shutter their $86 billion charitable foundation in 2045. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026

Tulane shuttered the program for years. —Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

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