shut

1 of 3

verb

shut; shutting

transitive verb

1
a
: to move into position to close an opening
shut the lid
b
: to prevent entrance to or passage to or from
2
: to confine by or as if by enclosure
shut herself in her study
3
: to fasten with a lock or bolt
4
: to close by bringing enclosing or covering parts together
shut the eyes
5
: to cause to cease or suspend an operation or activity
often used with down

intransitive verb

1
: to close itself or become closed
flowers that shut at night
2
: to cease or suspend an operation or activity
often used with down

shut

2 of 3

adjective

1
: closed, fastened, or folded together
2
: rid, clear, free
usually used with of

shut

3 of 3

noun

: the act of shutting

Examples of shut in a Sentence

Verb He shut his eyes and went to sleep. She shut the book loudly. I accidentally shut the door on her fingers. flowers that shut at night The door shut slowly behind me. The owner is shutting the pub for the weekend. They plan to shut the factory by the end of the year. Adjective She listened to the music with her eyes shut. Check to make sure that all the windows are shut.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The storied South London venue has been shut since December 2022, following a fatal crush at a gig by Afrobeats star Asake. Mark Sutherland, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 The doors of the Temple of Invention began to swing shut, seemingly for good. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024 Last Friday, after having been shut for nearly six years, one of L.A.’s most scenic farmers markets reopened to so much excitement that nearly every food vendor sold out of their goods. Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The project will shut the Duke Energy Convention Center down for 18 months beginning in July. Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 But the academy was too cloistered to recognize those sensuous wisps of smoke and steam wrapped around this Hong Kong love story and shut the film out entirely: Nothing for Wong, the sumptuous cinematography or Maggie Cheung’s sensitive performance. The New York Times Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Among the numerous economic woes to batter San Francisco: — Macy’s will shut its historic store in fabled Union Square. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 But House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, urged his colleagues to shut Miller down. Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024 More than 100 state forests have been closed, the Forest Fire Management of Victoria said on social platform X. Dozens of schools and child care centers have also been shut. Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Thus Life is out, when Motion leaves to bee, Like to an Eye that’s shut, no Light can see. Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024 Iowa caucus-goers deserved to have this information — even if their eyes and ears are already wide shut. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024 Mainland China’s markets remain shut and will resume trading on February 19. Laura He, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024 Flamini began living in a camper van and loved it, especially in the winter, when the doors occasionally froze shut, leaving her trapped inside until the temperature rose. D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2024 The hardcover is a soft vegan leather that opens flat but stays securely shut, thanks to an elastic closure. Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 11 Jan. 2024 All the while, Mackenzie’s own past reveals itself, reminding us that there’s no such thing as an open and shut case. Joe Otterson, Variety, 5 Dec. 2023 Schools have been ordered to close, once-bustling streets in Tel Aviv, the center of business, have virtually emptied and many businesses remain shut. Bryan Mena, CNN, 15 Oct. 2023 Their slack faces have the look of Greek masks: slits for shut eyes and black sockets for nostrils, mouths turned down like sickle moons. Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
Noun
At the hospital, the victim was treated for numerous injuries to his head, torso, and arms, with significant lacerations to his head requiring staples, and his eye swollen shut. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2024 Now an activist investor is circling 5 reasons why the feds are trying to block Kroger’s purchase of Albertsons California bus factory shuts, 425 jobs lost, latest victim of green-vehicle slump Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 Every officer’s mouth is zipped shut, and all of the faces look vaguely milky and homogenous. Zachary Fine, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2023 Woods’ mugshot shows his eyes swollen shut, with a cut on his chin and a busted bottom lip. Jaide Garcia, CNN, 2 Oct. 2023 Woods’s booking photo showed him with an injured lip and both eyes swollen shut. Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023 Police found her crying, her right eye swollen shut. Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2023 The woman snaps her compact shut and, without turning her head, raises a middle finger in the air. Clare Sestanovich, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023 Or the flaky version also known in his native Trinidad and Tobago as buss up shut. Priya Krishna, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English shetten, shutten, from Old English scyttan; akin to Middle Dutch schutten to shut in, Old English scēotan to shoot — more at shoot

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1667, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shut was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shut

Cite this Entry

“Shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shut

verb
ˈshət
shut; shutting
1
: to move into position so as to close an opening
shut the door
2
: to close so as to forbid entrance or leaving
shut the cottage for the winter
3
: to keep in a place by enclosing or by blocking the way out : imprison
shut them in jail
4
: to close by bringing parts together
shut your eyes
5
: to stop or cause to stop operation
shut both stores for a week
the plant shut down

More from Merriam-Webster on shut

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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