shut-in

noun

Definition of shut-innext
1
as in recluse

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in valley

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of shut-in Production shut-ins Brent crude futures could climb to $135 per barrel if the current situation persists for four months, according to Janiv Shah, vice president of oil markets at Rystad Energy. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 9 Mar. 2026 Her brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), is an agoraphobic shut-in failing to confront his mounting mental-health crises. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025 That means overcoming Ella’s hostility and bridging the divide with her uncommunicative kid brother Casey (Spike Fearn), an MIT graduate who has become an agoraphobic shut-in since his breakup with beloved girlfriend Susan (Ayo Edebiri). — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025 By visiting with the sick and shut-in, helping the bereaved, ministering to the incarcerated, always being willing to open the doors of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church to more people, teaching theology to other pastors and more, Thornhill was a pastor. — Sophia Tiedge, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shut-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shut-in
  1. recluse
  2. valley
  3. hermit
  4. hollow
  5. homebody
  6. vale
  7. gorge
  8. glen
Noun
  • However, the brown recluse and black widow spiders do have dangerous venom.
    — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
  • And over the years, this utopian town, which at the beginning looked great, has completely crumbled into a world of recluses and hoarders.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of recluse
Noun
  • That raises the possibility of patchy frost, particularly in sheltered valleys and locations where winds relax overnight.
    — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The film opens with Tenzing as a boy, gawking at Mount Everest, which looms across the valley like Godzilla.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of valley
Noun
  • In The Death of Robin Hood, Hugh Jackman plays the bandit of Nottingham, aged and retired to a hermit's life in the wilderness.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The hermit in me liked to stay home, the little vampire loved to step out.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of hermit
Noun
  • His attention drifts towards intimate details – the bare armpit, the small hollow at the base of Rafael’s neck – and the music follows him into this increasingly private, almost obsessive fascination.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Thick oak canopies also shelter birds from severe weather, and their branches and trunk hollows create nesting sites for spring.
    — Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of hollow
Noun
  • The spring 2027 collection was a great starting point for this homebody who still looks right at home in the fashion circus.
    — Alice Newbold, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Carle is more of a homebody, sticking closer to Sierra Chincua and often staying in its forests.
    — Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
Definition of homebody
Noun
  • Her journey takes her to the soirées of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District, all in search of independence, self-love and reinvention.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
  • But Mary’s journey takes her far beyond that familiar estate — to the soirées of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District, all in search of independence, self-love and reinvention.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of vale
Noun
  • The Ivy League college where fraternities throw parties in towering mansions and students weave between deep gorges on their way to class is being rocked over the handling of rape allegations from 2024.
    — Grey Battle, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Within the town, the Victoria Falls Hotel is an old favorite, with 149 rooms and dramatic views of the rocky gorge (doubles from $760).
    — Charukesi Ramadurai, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of gorge
Noun
  • Travelers familiar with Scotland’s Isle of Skye may recognize this recipe for remote luxury, though rather than craggy cliffs and emerald-green glens, Noirmoutier is closer to a little slice of California.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The story follows a proud Scot and Laird of Castle Drummoch (Branagh) who defies a shadowy American billionaire (Peter Sarsgaard) hellbent on buying up the glens.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of glen

Browse Nearby Words

shut-eye
shut-in
shut (in or up)
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Cite this Entry

“Shut-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shut-in. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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