shut; shutting
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
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
Synonyms
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
Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2024
TikTok has already fought off one ban attempt: A federal judge sided with the company in 2020 after then President Donald Trump attempted to shut the app down.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
The convictions in New York and Los Angeles shut the door on Weinstein’s career as an entertainment titan.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, in particular, were shut for 15 months, due to tight restrictions in the Golden State.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
With direct aisle access and doors that will be able to shut fully, the new Allegris business class will be a significant upgrade from Lufthansa’s current arrangement in a 2-2-2 configuration.
—Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2024
On Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell firmly shut the door on rate cuts, citing lack of confidence in progress on inflation.
—Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Five days after the attack on Israel, hundreds of protesters gathered on the campus, and the university shut its gates — a step that has now become familiar as protests have flared.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
McKean made an error in the seventh inning, but struck out three batters in the frame to slam the door shut on the Hornets.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
Patrick Smith, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
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
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
Verb
The high school has been in turmoil since a week and a half ago, when it was leaked to staff and families that leaders were planning a special meeting within three days potentially to shut it down.
—Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2024
TikTok has already fought off one ban attempt: A federal judge sided with the company in 2020 after then President Donald Trump attempted to shut the app down.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
The convictions in New York and Los Angeles shut the door on Weinstein’s career as an entertainment titan.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, in particular, were shut for 15 months, due to tight restrictions in the Golden State.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
With direct aisle access and doors that will be able to shut fully, the new Allegris business class will be a significant upgrade from Lufthansa’s current arrangement in a 2-2-2 configuration.
—Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2024
On Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell firmly shut the door on rate cuts, citing lack of confidence in progress on inflation.
—Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Five days after the attack on Israel, hundreds of protesters gathered on the campus, and the university shut its gates — a step that has now become familiar as protests have flared.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
McKean made an error in the seventh inning, but struck out three batters in the frame to slam the door shut on the Hornets.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Meanwhile, one of the biggest ports on the eastern seaboard remains shut, depriving suppliers of a major route for consumer goods, including automobiles, that normally accounts for 4,900 trucks and billions of dollars of trade daily.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near shut
Cite this Entry
“Shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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