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
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
Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2025
Read the full Sagittarius Daily Horoscope Capricorn (December 21 - January 19)
When one door shuts, another door opens during the Virgo lunar eclipse.
—USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025
While searching the property, deputies found that the front door was barricaded shut and the back door was rigged with a shotgun.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 5 Mar. 2025
Ahmed Walid, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024
The damage Moicano put on his opponent forced the doctor to wave off the fight as Saint Denis’ right eye was nearly swollen shut.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shut
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Hospital medical records showed that O'Keefe's injuries included eyes swollen shut and black and blue, a cut on his right eyelid, a cut to the left side of his nose, a two-inch laceration on the back of his head, multiple skull fractures and six bloody cuts of varied length on his right forearm.
—Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2025
Read the full Sagittarius Daily Horoscope Capricorn (December 21 - January 19)
When one door shuts, another door opens during the Virgo lunar eclipse.
—USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Yet the siren call to revisit even cases like Peterson’s, which seem open and shut, has proven hard to resist.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Mar. 2025
While searching the property, deputies found that the front door was barricaded shut and the back door was rigged with a shotgun.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
On Monday, August 30, 2004 — the day before that summer’s transfer window shut — Everton’s then chairman, the late Bill Kenwright, was sitting in Ferguson’s office at Old Trafford, alongside his club’s manager David Moyes and United CEO David Gill following a goalless draw between the two sides.
—Ahmed Walid, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024
The damage Moicano put on his opponent forced the doctor to wave off the fight as Saint Denis’ right eye was nearly swollen shut.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shut
Cite this Entry
“Shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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