as in cessations
the stopping of a process or activity
the factory resumed operation after a brief shutdown for repairs
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Recent Examples of shutdowns
Others focused on the park-wide outage itself, with some guests sharing frustrations about long waits and ride shutdowns throughout the day.
—
Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Remember the pandemic-era chip shortages, which led to empty car lots, appliance backorders and factory shutdowns?
—Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
After a fraught past year of government shutdowns leading to long airport security lines, the Transportation Security Administration is launching a new public-private partnership program called TSA Gold+.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Dale warns drivers should expect more interstate shutdowns.
—Leondra Head, CBS News, 18 May 2026
The legislation, which won't take effect until after the November 2026 election, instructs the secretary of the Senate to place senators' paychecks on hold during the duration of any future federal government shutdowns.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Lawmakers in previous shutdowns have often pledged to forgo their paychecks while federal workers went unpaid.
—Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Iran has repeatedly used internet shutdowns during periods of unrest, where access to the global internet is severely restricted or completely cut, making foreign websites and apps unreachable.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Stimulus payments were sanctioned by Congress to help prop up the economy during COVID-19 shutdowns.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 23 Dec. 2024
Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Remember the pandemic-era chip shortages, which led to empty car lots, appliance backorders and factory shutdowns?
—Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
After a fraught past year of government shutdowns leading to long airport security lines, the Transportation Security Administration is launching a new public-private partnership program called TSA Gold+.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Dale warns drivers should expect more interstate shutdowns.
—Leondra Head, CBS News, 18 May 2026
The legislation, which won't take effect until after the November 2026 election, instructs the secretary of the Senate to place senators' paychecks on hold during the duration of any future federal government shutdowns.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Lawmakers in previous shutdowns have often pledged to forgo their paychecks while federal workers went unpaid.
—Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Iran has repeatedly used internet shutdowns during periods of unrest, where access to the global internet is severely restricted or completely cut, making foreign websites and apps unreachable.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Stimulus payments were sanctioned by Congress to help prop up the economy during COVID-19 shutdowns.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 23 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shutdowns
Noun
-
Temporary cessations of hostility, but no permanent closing of the moral and social divide between debtor and creditor, and no giving up on the thought that some lives matter more than others.—
Henry Freedland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In practice the printer ran for about 3 months (including setup and halts), whereas a traditional cast bridge might have taken 3–4 times longer.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
-
Former leaders warn that the loss of institutional knowledge, combined with halts to the incoming pipeline of public health workers, may lead to a long-term crisis.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This Emmys season is more focused on endings than beginnings.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
-
Otherwise, many of the endings here are frustratingly predictable.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
The display is expected to cause traffic and road closures in the city Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Anne Arundel County police.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
And then there weren’t enough air traffic controllers, so there were these intermittent closures of airports.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Most of the stoppages came by way of tap out.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
During the action, music played through the continuous stoppages, keeping the crowd engaged.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Carter was electric at both ends of the floor, leading the Aces with 27 points, shooting 13-for-16 from the field and adding eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
-
That has prompted more farms to embrace multiple business models to make ends meet.—
William Deffaa,
Baltimore Sun,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shutdowns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shutdowns. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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