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
Even then, there were significant differences in patterns among cities (and intra-city neighborhoods) in terms of how cities recovered from the shutdowns.
—
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
The force of that earthquake six years ago traveled several hundred miles away to South Florida cut the workday short for employees in several buildings and spurring some road shutdowns.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026
The restaurant group declared bankruptcy in March of 2020, as Covid-19 shutdowns exacerbated the group’s financial troubles at the time.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 1 June 2026
But the benefits far outweigh the risks, says Mender-Franklin, who moved to Midtown in 2020, just months before the pandemic shutdowns.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
There is no Iranian Tammy Baldwin writing letters demanding answers about the internet shutdowns the regime imposes whenever its own people get restive.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 27 May 2026
Closures, or partial shutdowns, have been forced on factories in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran because of damage to equipment or shortages of raw material, especially alumina, the essential feedstock for metal production.
—Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
As previously reported by the Daily News, some Greenpoint merchants say the service outages — coming after long G train shutdowns in 2025 and 2024 — will hurt their bottom lines.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Still, as cinemas struggle to recover from pandemic-era shutdowns, a film that generates more than $100 million in its opening weekend is typically seen as a success.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
The force of that earthquake six years ago traveled several hundred miles away to South Florida cut the workday short for employees in several buildings and spurring some road shutdowns.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026
The restaurant group declared bankruptcy in March of 2020, as Covid-19 shutdowns exacerbated the group’s financial troubles at the time.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 1 June 2026
But the benefits far outweigh the risks, says Mender-Franklin, who moved to Midtown in 2020, just months before the pandemic shutdowns.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
There is no Iranian Tammy Baldwin writing letters demanding answers about the internet shutdowns the regime imposes whenever its own people get restive.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 27 May 2026
Closures, or partial shutdowns, have been forced on factories in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran because of damage to equipment or shortages of raw material, especially alumina, the essential feedstock for metal production.
—Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
As previously reported by the Daily News, some Greenpoint merchants say the service outages — coming after long G train shutdowns in 2025 and 2024 — will hurt their bottom lines.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026
Still, as cinemas struggle to recover from pandemic-era shutdowns, a film that generates more than $100 million in its opening weekend is typically seen as a success.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
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
-
Parents are choosing names with softer sounds and vowel endings such as Alonso, Ilyas, Amos, and Lennon for boys, and Rhea, Rosalina, Aura, Ines, and Zeina for girls.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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The end of Dexter is so widely hated that it’s considered by many to be among the worst TV show endings ever.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
His appearance as the first sitting president at an NBA Finals game brought a crackdown on security with checkpoints, magnetometers and street closures confounding fans, commuters and tourists.—
Brian Mahoney,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Bears prompt school closures in Japan Talk about an unexpected disruption.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
On top of production stoppages and revenue losses, organizations must contend with remediation costs, penalties and compounding financial losses.—
Jaushin Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
Riley went all six innings of a game called short by umpires due to two weather stoppages.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
The drone filmed from the north and south ends of the channel and shot an FWC boat travelling around the same speed that Pino’s Robalo was going on the day of the crash and the same path before avoiding the piling at the last second.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
-
Many of those students pay full price, helping colleges make ends meet.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shutdowns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shutdowns. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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