1
as in ending
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
threatened to shut off peace talks if the other side kept making unreasonable demands
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in turning off
to cause to stop functioning
shut off the computer to save electricity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shutting off
When the construction project starts next year, the road into the basin will be closed, shutting off access to the area.
—
Liz Teitz, San Antonio Express-News, 5 Jan. 2026
The plan discussed in committee would also create parameters for providers shutting off water service to residents.
—Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
At one point, customers heard a rumor that SDG&E was shutting off electricity to the building — an alarming development that would have left the business’s freezers without power.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Audrey Hepburn plays a blind woman who manages to thwart intruders by shutting off all the lights in her apartment.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
Like houses slowly shutting off their lights as a town falls into slumber, the brain gradually turns to night mode.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
Burton is one of over a dozen people who have been arrested on suspicion of helping the escapees, including another inmate in the jail and a jail maintenance worker who is accused of shutting off water to the toilet allowing escapees to remove it.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025
Although SoCal Edison can prevent electrical fires by shutting off the power that flows through the lines, the utility did not turn the power off to most circuits that power Altadena.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
If the plaque weakens and breaks apart, large clumps are released into the blood stream, and a large clump can block an artery, completely shutting off blood flow and causing a heart attack.
—Bryant Stamford, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Sep. 2025
Liz Teitz, San Antonio Express-News, 5 Jan. 2026
The plan discussed in committee would also create parameters for providers shutting off water service to residents.
—Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
At one point, customers heard a rumor that SDG&E was shutting off electricity to the building — an alarming development that would have left the business’s freezers without power.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Audrey Hepburn plays a blind woman who manages to thwart intruders by shutting off all the lights in her apartment.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
Like houses slowly shutting off their lights as a town falls into slumber, the brain gradually turns to night mode.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
Burton is one of over a dozen people who have been arrested on suspicion of helping the escapees, including another inmate in the jail and a jail maintenance worker who is accused of shutting off water to the toilet allowing escapees to remove it.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025
Although SoCal Edison can prevent electrical fires by shutting off the power that flows through the lines, the utility did not turn the power off to most circuits that power Altadena.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
If the plaque weakens and breaks apart, large clumps are released into the blood stream, and a large clump can block an artery, completely shutting off blood flow and causing a heart attack.
—Bryant Stamford, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shutting off
Verb
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The Chargers have been without top tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater because of season-ending ankle and knee injuries, respectively, and tried to make do as best as possible.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The team labored in home losses to Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers, with Mahomes ultimately suffering a season-ending ACL injury in the fourth quarter of that setback against the Chargers.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Drivers are currently turning off the self-driving feature to send a text, then turn it back on, Musk claimed, adding that doing so is less safe.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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Part of that is price, which is turning off buyers.—
Kelly Evans,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Rhode founder and her stylist Dani Michele delivered a show-stopping moment on the red carpet, pulling a shimmering 2009 Armani Privé gown from the archives.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
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Stroll through the Funk Zone, stopping at wineries, breweries, and local shops along the way.—
Chantelle Kincy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The charges relate to his killing Scott Wonoski, 43, a fellow inmate at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater, in 2021.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
10 Jan. 2026
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Those on the right, determined to make the case that this was an officer killing in self-defense, should instead be beginning with this utter failure to protect the life of a civilian protester and de-escalate the situation through some means other than shooting a fellow American in the head.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That’s because Keats, who died at just 25, was obsessed with the finality of things, with an unavoidable fear of life ceasing to be.—
The Atlantic Culture Desk,
The Atlantic,
26 Dec. 2025
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The first step for treating CHS is ceasing marijuana use entirely, Streem said.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In cars, they’re used to connect the battery to motors, for lights and sensors, for braking systems, airbag controllers, entertainment systems and electric windows.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
31 Dec. 2025
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Drivers should slow down significantly while accelerating and braking gradually.—
Brian Sherrod,
CBS News,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The performer delivered her opening monologue in a traffic-halting dress that featured a strapless neckline, thigh-high slit, and huge cloud-like skirt.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
13 Jan. 2026
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Their ignorance makes these militiamen quite ineffective at halting their own intelligence breaches.—
Elizabeth Tsurkov,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Instead, prune these shrubs after the flowers have begun to fall off in late spring to avoid cutting off the buds that will be next year’s blooms.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Jan. 2026
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The Iranian government has increasingly cracked down on demonstrators in recent days, cutting off internet access and phone lines in Tehran in the middle of last week.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shutting off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shutting%20off. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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