shut (shuts 3rd person present) (shutting present participle )
The form shut is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle.
1 verb If you shut something such as a door or if it shuts, it moves so that it fills a hole or a space.
(=close) (Antonym: open)
Just make sure you shut the gate after you... V n
The screen door shut gently. V
Shut is also an adjective., adj v-link ADJ
They have warned residents to stay inside and keep their doors and windows shut...
2 verb If you shut your eyes, you lower your eyelids so that you cannot see anything.
(=close) (Antonym: open)
Lucy shut her eyes so she wouldn't see it happen. V n
Shut is also an adjective., adj v-link ADJ
His eyes were shut and he seemed to have fallen asleep.
3 verb If your mouth shuts or if you shut your mouth, you place your lips firmly together.
(=close) (Antonym: open)
Daniel's mouth opened, and then shut again... V
He opened and shut his mouth, unspeaking. V n
Shut is also an adjective., adj v-link ADJ
She was silent for a moment, lips tight shut, eyes distant.
4 verb When a store, bar, or other public building shuts or when someone shuts it, it is closed and you cannot use it until it is open again.
(=close) (Antonym: open)
There is a tendency to shut museums or shops at a moment's notice... V n
What time do the pubs shut? V
Shut is also an adjective., adj v-link ADJ
Make sure you have food to tide you over when the local shop may be shut.
5 If you say that someone shuts their eyes to something, you mean that they deliberately ignore something which they should deal with.
shut one's eyes to something phrase V inflects, PHR n (disapproval)
We shut our eyes to the plainest facts, refusing to admit the truth...
6 If someone tells you to keep your mouth shut about something, they are telling you not to let anyone else know about it.
keep your mouth shut phrase V inflects
7 If you keep your mouth shut, you do not express your opinions about something, even though you would like to.
keep your mouth shut phrase V inflects
If she had kept her mouth shut she would still have her job now. shut down phrasal verb If a factory or business shuts down or if someone shuts it down, work there stops or it no longer trades as a business.
Smaller contractors had been forced to shut down... V P
It is required by law to shut down banks which it regards as chronically short of capital... V P n (not pron)
Mr Buzetta sold the newspaper's assets to its competitor and shut it down. V n P
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shutdown shut in
1 phrasal verb If you shut someone or something in a room, you close the door so that they cannot leave it.
The door enables us to shut the birds in the shelter in bad weather. V n P n
2 phrasal verb If you shutyourselfin a room, you stay in there and make sure nobody else can get in.
After one particular bad result, he shut himself in the shower room for an hour... V pron-refl P n
1 phrasal verb If you shut off something such as an engine or an electrical item, you turn it off to stop it working.
(=switch off)
They pulled over and shut off the engine... V P n (not pron)
Will somebody for God's sake shut that alarm off. V n P
2 phrasal verb If you shutyourselfoff, you avoid seeing other people, usually because you are feeling depressed.
Billy tends to keep things to himself more and shut himself off... V pron-refl P
3 phrasal verb If an official organization shuts off the supply of something, they no longer send it to the people they supplied in the past.
The State Water Project has shut off all supplies to farmers. V P n (not pron), Also V n P shut out
1 phrasal verb If you shut something or someone out, you prevent them from getting into a place, for example by closing the doors.
`I shut him out of the bedroom,' says Maureen... V n P of n
I was set to shut out anyone else who came knocking. V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb If you shut out a thought or a feeling, you prevent yourself from thinking or feeling it.
(=block out)
I shut out the memory which was too painful to dwell on... V P n (not pron)
The figures represent such overwhelming human misery that the mind wants to shut it out. V n P
3 phrasal verb If you shut someone out of something, you prevent them from having anything to do with it. She is very reclusive, to the point of shutting me out of her life... V n P of n She had effectively shut him out by refusing to listen. V n P shut up phrasal verb If someone shuts up or if someone shuts them up, they stop talking. You can say `shut up' as an impolite way to tell a person to stop talking. Just shut up, will you?... V P A sharp put-down was the only way to shut her up. V n P
open-and-shut
If you describe a dispute or a legal case as open-and-shut, you mean that is easily decided or solved because the facts are very clear. adj usu ADJ n
It's an open and shut case. The hospital is at fault.
shut-eye , shuteye
Shut-eye is sleep.
INFORMAL n-uncount
Go home and get some shut-eye.
shut-in (shut-ins plural )A shut-in is someone who is ill for a long time, and has to stay in bed or at home.
(AM) n-count
...Meals on Wheels or similar programs that bring outside life to shut-ins.
