shut up

verb

shut up; shutting up; shuts up

transitive verb

: to cause (a person) to stop talking

intransitive verb

: to cease writing or speaking

Examples of shut up in a Sentence

you have no right to tell the rest of us to shut up nothing I said would shut them up
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
They were made to relish going on the road and shutting up an American crowd. Brody Miller, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025 Anybody that disputes it, even in my mentions, shut up. Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025 And here you are shut up in this little cage. Ron Arias, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025 So pull up Duolingo to start brushing up on that high school Spanish, stop crying, shut up and dance. Angel Diaz, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shut up

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of shut up was in 1814

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shut up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut%20up. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

shut up

verb
1
: to cause a person to stop talking
2
: to stop writing or speaking

More from Merriam-Webster on shut up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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