shut

1 of 3

verb

ˈshət 

shut; shutting

transitive verb

1

a

: to move into position to close an opening

shut the lid

b

: to prevent entrance to or passage to or from

2

: to confine by or as if by enclosure

shut herself in her study

3

: to fasten with a lock or bolt

4

: to close by bringing enclosing or covering parts together

shut the eyes

5

: to cause to cease or suspend an operation or activity

—often used with down

intransitive verb

1

: to close itself or become closed

flowers that shut at night

2

: to cease or suspend an operation or activity

—often used with down

shut

2 of 3

adjective

1

: closed, fastened, or folded together

2

: rid, clear, free

—usually used with of

shut

3 of 3

noun

: the act of shutting

Synonyms of shut

Verb

• close
• lock

Adjective

• freed
• free
• quit
• released
• liberated
• disencumbered

Examples of shut in a Sentence

Verb

He shut his eyes and went to sleep.

She shut the book loudly.

I accidentally shut the door on her fingers.

flowers that shut at night

The door shut slowly behind me.

The owner is shutting the pub for the weekend.

They plan to shut the factory by the end of the year.

Adjective

She listened to the music with her eyes shut.

Check to make sure that all the windows are shut.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Long enough that a couple of us expected thermal protection to eventually shut the party down. — New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026

For those sheltering in place, the city advised shutting windows and doors, turning off AC units drawing in outside air and keeping pets inside. — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

Adjective

But the windows should stay shut if the air temperature is about 95 or above. — Chad Murphy, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2026

Raelynn’s parents — Aubree Winnekens and Aaron Kubiske — shared that their daughter’s eyes were sealed shut and her skin was translucent when she was born. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Noun

Get assistance with heating bills The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps qualified households with one-time financial assistance for heating and electricity bills, as well as emergency aid to prevent shut-offs. — Dan Avery, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Additionally, emergency protocols were drafted to require AV companies to give local police and fire departments physical override access or emergency remote shut-off mechanisms. — Andrew Hawkins, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English shetten, shutten, from Old English scyttan; akin to Middle Dutch schutten to shut in, Old English scēotan to shoot — more at shoot

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1667, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing shut

• keep one's mouth shut
• keep one's trap shut
• open-and-shut
• put up or shut up
• shut away
• shut down
• shut-eye
• shut-in
• shut off
• shut off from
• shut one's face
• shut one's mouth
• shut out
• shut up
• shut up shop
• shut your pie hole
• squeeze one's eyes shut
• with one's eyes shut/closed

Rhymes for shut

• but
• butt
• cut
• glut
• gut
• hut
• jut
• mutt
• nut
• putt
• rut
• smut

Kids Definition

shut

verb

ˈshət

shut; shutting

1

: to move into position so as to close an opening

shut the door

2

: to close so as to forbid entrance or leaving

shut the cottage for the winter

3

: to keep in a place by enclosing or by blocking the way out : imprison

shut them in jail

4

: to close by bringing parts together

shut your eyes

5

: to stop or cause to stop operation

shut both stores for a week

the plant shut down