shut
/ʃʌt
/verb (shuts, shutting; past and past participle shut) [with object]
1Move (something) into position so as to block an opening; close: shut the window, please she shut her lips tight (as adjective shut) she slammed the door shut...
- Don't keep your bedroom door and windows shut all day long.
- I shut my eyes and moved blindly forward, towards that door.
- The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut a second later broke the silence between us.
Synonyms
close, draw/pull/push to, slam, fasten;
put the lid on, bar, lock, latch, padlock, secure, seal;
put up the shutters
1.1 [no object] Move or be able to be moved so as to block an opening: the door shut behind him...
- Peer through the dusty glass and you might catch sight of the two thick yellow metal doors behind, jammed tightly shut with no obvious opening mechanism.
- Vincent, who had not moved from where he lay, heard the door shut behind them and the room fall silent.
- When I hear what students, purporting to study for English degrees, know and do not know nowadays, I seem to sense huge doors shutting quietly behind us.
1.2Block an opening into (something) by moving something into position: he shut the box and locked it...
- He shut the cellar door and we heard him push the boxes and rugs over it.
1.3 [with object and adverbial] Keep in a place by closing something such as a door: it was his own dog which he had accidentally shut outside...
- Steve's convinced it was done by some ‘yobs’ outside and dismisses those who believe the door was blown shut by the wind.
- He and his fellow guards handcuffed the men and took them outside, he closed the door shut, and the slaves were back to work.
- What would you do if I shut you outside, to stand in the rain and catch cold so you died?
2Fold or bring together the sides of (something) so as to close it: he shut his book...
- Jordan had looked up, suddenly, while instinctively shutting her sketch book.
- Alex took pity on him, and shut his sketch book with a snap.
- You shut your biology book with a thud, and stared at him from across the table.
3Prevent access to or along: they ought to shut the path up to that terrible cliff...
- Even the fact that you can shut the Gaza Strip and prevent people from there going to their leader's funeral is not really right.
- The castle is surrounded by a metal fence, and all of the entrances to it are welded shut by some of his servants to prevent anyone from coming or going.
- He points out that landowners have weakened the case for shutting access, by allowing deer stalking from last week.
3.1Make or become unavailable for business or service, either permanently or until due to be open again: [with object]: we shut the shop for lunch [no object]: the accident and emergency departments will shut...
- State and local investigators blamed the accident on a maintenance error that left open a natural gas valve as the boiler was being shut for routine service.
- The moment one shop opens, others that stay shut lose business.
- Businesses that were shut in the afternoon have reopened, and it's looking like things are slowly getting back to normal.
4 [no object] (shut it) [in imperative] informal Stop talking; be quiet: ‘Sit down and shut it’, he growled
Phrases
be (or get) shut of
shut the door on (or to)
shut one's eyes to
shut one's mind to
shut the stable door after the horse has bolted
shut up shop
shut your face (or mouth or trap)!
Phrasal verbs
shut someone/thing away
shut down (or shut something down)
shut someone/thing in
shut off (or shut something off)
shut oneself off
shut someone/thing out
shut up (or shut someone up)
shut something up
Origin
Old English scyttan 'put (a bolt) in position to hold fast', of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch schutten 'shut up, obstruct', also to shoot.
Old English scyttan ‘put (a bolt) in position to hold fast’ is West Germanic in origin, related to Dutch schutten ‘shut up, obstruct’ and English shoot. The phrase get shut of for to ‘get rid of’ is found from around 1500. The colloquial shut up! is recorded from the mid 19th century.