shutout

1 of 2

noun

shut·​out ˈshət-ˌau̇t 

1

: a game or contest in which one side fails to score

2

: a preemptive bid in bridge

shut out

2 of 2

verb

shut out; shutting out; shuts out

transitive verb

1

: exclude

2

: to prevent (an opponent) from scoring in a game or contest

3

: to forestall the bidding of (bridge opponents) by making a high or preemptive bid

Synonyms

Verb

• ban
• bar
• close out
• count (out)
• debar
• eliminate
• except
• exclude
• freeze out
• rule out

Examples of shutout in a Sentence

Noun

They beat us in a 9–0 shutout.

Verb

local residents feel that they have been shut out of the debate for expanding the airport

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Askarov now has a record of 6-2-0 this season with two shutouts and a .949 save percentage. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024

Don’t tell Jay-Z, but Bey has never won in this category either — the fact that that 0-fer isn’t nearly as much of a point of contention as her album of the year shutout is a sign of how the latter award has become the most coveted Grammy. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

While programs such as the Works Progress Administration provided a crucial source of employment, most Black workers remained largely shut out of the Social Security system and unprotected by wage and hour regulations. —Ben Zdencanovic, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024

Forgotten about this Series, and just as damaging to the Dodgers as Owen’s blunder: Freddie Fitzsimmons was sailing along in Game 3, shutting out the Yankees, when the final out of the seventh — a line drive by Marius Russo — bounced off Fitzsimmons’ leg, breaking his kneecap. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shutout

1 of 2 noun

shut·​out ˈshət-ˌau̇t 

: a game in which one side fails to score

shut out

2 of 2 verb

ˌshət-ˈau̇t

1

: to keep something out : exclude

2

: to keep an opponent from scoring in a game