shut down

verb

shut down; shutting down; shuts down

intransitive verb

: to settle so as to obscure vision : close in

the night shut down early

transitive verb

: to make ineffective in competition

shut down the opposition's offensive line

Examples of shut down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pool will shut down for Juneteenth and Independence Day as well as for swim meet championships on Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18. —Hali Smith june 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 June 2026

Vegas shuts down Necas Martin Necas’ playoff pedigree took time to evolve. —Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 2 June 2026

The Black Crowes are facing backlash after shutting down a patriotic chant mid-concert. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026

What’s more, the Valero refinery in the Northern California town of Benicia and the Phillips 66 twin refinery in the Los Angeles area shut down operations in recent months. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for shut down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

shutdown

noun

shut·​down ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 

: an ending of an activity