shut down; shutting down; shuts down
: to settle so as to obscure vision : close in
the night shut down early
: to make ineffective in competition
shut down the opposition's offensive line
Examples of shutdown in a Sentence
Noun
the shutdown of the factory
the factory resumed operation after a brief shutdown for repairs
Recent Examples on the Web
Marissa Armas, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Across the country, collections are popping up to help Transportation Security Administration officers who have been without full pay for more than a month due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Nighthawk is located within a Very High Fire Hazard Safety Zone, but a Poway city staff report said the facility will have a protection system that will automatically shut down and prevent the spread of fire to other battery modules.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
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.
Noun
As spring break travel winds down, airports across the country are still dealing with heavy crowds and long security lines, amid the partial government shutdown.
—Marissa Armas, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Across the country, collections are popping up to help Transportation Security Administration officers who have been without full pay for more than a month due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security.
—Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
The University of Florida’s College Republicans chapter filed a federal lawsuit Monday accusing the university of violating the First Amendment after administrators abruptly shut down the student group last week over antisemitic remarks attributed to one of its members.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Nighthawk is located within a Very High Fire Hazard Safety Zone, but a Poway city staff report said the facility will have a protection system that will automatically shut down and prevent the spread of fire to other battery modules.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
Cite this Entry
“Shutdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutdown. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
