Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
shut [shuht] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for shut on Thesaurus.com verb (used with object), shut, shut·ting.
- to put (a door, cover, etc.) in position to close or obstruct.
- to close the doors of (often followed by up): to shut up a shop for the night.
- to close (something) by bringing together or folding its parts: Shut your book. Shut the window!
- to confine; enclose: to shut a bird into a cage.
- to bar; exclude: They shut him from their circle.
- to cause (a factory, school, etc.) to end or suspend operations, services, or business activity: He shut his store, sold his house, and moved away. We’re shutting the office for two weeks in June.
- to bolt; bar.
verb (used without object), shut, shut·ting.
- to become shut or closed; close.
adjective
- closed; fastened up: a shut door.
- Phonetics. checked(def 2).
noun
- the act or time of shutting or closing.
- the line where two pieces of welded metal are united.
Verb Phrases
- shut down,
- to close, especially temporarily; end or suspend operations, services, or business activity.
- to stop operating or stop the operation of (a machine): Did you remember to shut down your computer?
- Also shut down on/upon.Informal.to hinder; check; stop from doing or saying something: He appeared on the talk show to shut down his critics.
- Informal.to defeat or outdo:The team was able to shut down the offense.
- to settle over so as to envelop or darken: The fog shut down rapidly.
- shut in,
- to enclose.
- to confine, as from illness: She broke her leg in a fall and has been shut in for several weeks.
- shut of, Informal. free of; rid of: He wished he were shut of all his debts.
- shut off,
- to stop the passage of (water, traffic, electricity, etc.); close off.
- to isolate; separate: an outpost almost completely shut off from civilization.
- shut out,
- to keep from entering; exclude.
- to hide from view.
- to prevent (an opponent or opposing team) from scoring, as in a game of baseball.
- shut up,
- to imprison; confine.
- to close entirely.
- to stop talking; become silent: I thought the neighbors would never shut up and let me sleep.
- to stop (someone) from talking; silence.
Origin of shut before 1000; Middle English s(c)hutten, s(c)hetten, s(c)hitten Old English scyttan “to bolt (a door)”; akin to shoot1 Related formshalf-shut, adjectivere·shut, verb, re·shut, re·shut·ting.un·shut, adjectiveSynonyms for shut See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com 4. jail, imprison, cage. 5. prohibit.Synonym study 1. See close.Antonyms for shut 1. open. Related Words for shut push, lock, bar, seal, draw, secure, fasten, fold, slam, enclose, imprison, exclude, confine, cage Examples from the Web for shut Contemporary Examples of shut
And so it was that the federal government did not shut down just when we all had visions of sugar plumbs dancing in our heads.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving
P. J. O’Rourke
December 20, 2014
He immediately tried to shut the window before saying anything else.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
Over the years, several MPs have alleged cover-ups or suggested that investigations were shut down by senior security officials.
Victim: I Watched British MPs Rape and Murder Young Boys
Nico Hines
December 18, 2014
But of course, the union was shut out of the process, according to spokesman George Atallah.
Roger Goodell and the NFL’s Path to Power
Robert Silverman
December 11, 2014
“We need to shut the money down like we did on Black Friday,” he said.
‘I Can’t Breathe’ Makes It Onto the Court for Will and Kate to See
Jacob Siegel
December 9, 2014
Historical Examples of shut
What is the use of a beautiful face, if one must be shut up in her own apartment for ever?
Lydia Maria Child
It’s a pity you ain’t got some one to shut down on you that way.
Harry Leon Wilson
Harriet had not “gone into her closet and shut the door” for nothing.
Harriet, The Moses of Her People
Sarah H. Bradford
If criticism of this kind is prohibited the doors of the House might as well be shut.
Richard B. Cook
I must make it clear to myself that He does not shut me out of His heart because I am guilty of sins.
Basil King
British Dictionary definitions for shut shut verb shuts, shutting or shut
- to move (something) so as to cover an aperture; closeto shut a door
- to close (something) by bringing together the partsto shut a book
- (tr often foll by up) to close or lock the doors ofto shut up a house
- (tr; foll by in, out, etc) to confine, enclose, or excludeto shut a child in a room
- (tr) to prevent (a business, etc) from operating
- shut one’s eyes to to ignore deliberately
- shut the door on
- to refuse to think about
- to render impossible
adjective
- closed or fastened
noun
- the act or time of shutting
- the line along which pieces of metal are welded
- get shut of or get shot of slang to get rid of
See also shutdown, shut-off, shutout, shut up Word Origin for shut Old English scyttan; related to Old Frisian sketta to shut in, Middle Dutch schutten to obstruct Word Origin and History for shut v.
Old English scyttan “to put (a bolt) in place so as to fasten a door or gate, bolt, shut to; discharge, pay off,” from West Germanic *skutjan (cf. Old Frisian schetta, Middle Dutch schutten “to shut, shut up, obstruct”), from PIE *skeud- “to shoot, chase, throw” (see shoot (v.)). Related: Shutting.
Meaning “to close by folding or bringing together” is from mid-14c. Meaning “prevent ingress and egress” is from mid-14c. Sense of “to set (someone) free (from)” (c.1500) is obsolete except in dialectal phrases such as to get shut of. To shut (one’s) mouth “desist from speaking” is recorded from mid-14c.
Idioms and Phrases with shut shut
In addition to the idioms beginning with shut
also see: