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
There are currently 13 ongoing shutdowns worldwide.
—
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 May 2026
Government shutdowns, foreign wars and disruptive intrusions into state economies and affairs have led to chaos in our energy markets.
—Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
And engineers have learned how to idle wells without lasting damage and restart them quickly, officials say, after years of sanctions and shutdowns pushed the country’s oil industry through cycles of disruption.
—Anthony Di Paola, Fortune, 2 May 2026
Mudrock said there were also efforts in Congress to ensure workers are paid even during shutdowns.
—Sacbee.com, 2 May 2026
Iran's 90 million people have been cut off from the internet for most of 2026, one of the world's longest and strictest national shutdowns.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Portions of the line were shut down for ten weeks during the summer of 2024, and the section of the line north of the Bedford-Nostrand Station faced summer shutdowns again last year.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, there could be some intermittent shutdowns because part of the semi’s trailer was pushed half a mile down the tracks.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
In April 2020, people around the globe were struggling to come to grips with the strictures of unprecedented societal shutdowns aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 27 Apr. 2026
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 May 2026
Government shutdowns, foreign wars and disruptive intrusions into state economies and affairs have led to chaos in our energy markets.
—Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
And engineers have learned how to idle wells without lasting damage and restart them quickly, officials say, after years of sanctions and shutdowns pushed the country’s oil industry through cycles of disruption.
—Anthony Di Paola, Fortune, 2 May 2026
Mudrock said there were also efforts in Congress to ensure workers are paid even during shutdowns.
—Sacbee.com, 2 May 2026
Iran's 90 million people have been cut off from the internet for most of 2026, one of the world's longest and strictest national shutdowns.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Portions of the line were shut down for ten weeks during the summer of 2024, and the section of the line north of the Bedford-Nostrand Station faced summer shutdowns again last year.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, there could be some intermittent shutdowns because part of the semi’s trailer was pushed half a mile down the tracks.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
In April 2020, people around the globe were struggling to come to grips with the strictures of unprecedented societal shutdowns aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 27 Apr. 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
-
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
-
Automotive industry analysts are forecasting that another microchip shortage could hit in the coming months, which could increase risks for production halts as costs skyrocket.—
Breana Noble,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Without giving too much away about the endings of Caveat and Oddity, McCarthy (like Ohm) leans toward the bleak and open-ended.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
These periods tend to bring sudden news, endings, breakthroughs or a turning point.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hyperliquid does this without any traditional centralised intermediaries, exchange operators, or clearinghouses and on a 24/7 basis without market closures.—
Bob Diamond,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
About 90 jobs were impacted by the closures.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
During the action, music played through the continuous stoppages, keeping the crowd engaged.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The stoppages allow for weird moments of drama and the emergence of characters.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Families across the country are struggling to make ends meet, while billionaires get tax breaks.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
The long-form contract has become a byzantine artifact, a ritual of delay that benefits no one except perhaps the law firms billing hours on both ends.—
George Heller,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shutdowns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shutdowns. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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