shut: Meaning and Definition of

shut

Pronunciation: (shut), [key]
— v., adj., n. shut, shut•ting,
—v.t.
  1. to put (a door, cover, etc.) in position to close or obstruct.
  2. to close the doors of (often fol. by up): to shut up a shop for the night.
  3. to close (something) by bringing together or folding its parts: Shut your book. Shut the window!
  4. to confine; enclose: to shut a bird into a cage.
  5. to bar; exclude: They shut him from their circle.
  6. to cause (a business, factory, store, etc.) to end or suspend operations: He shut his store, sold his house, and moved away. We're shutting the office for two weeks in June.
  7. to bolt; bar.
—v.i.
  1. to become shut or closed; close.
  2. The fog shut down rapidly.
    1. to settle over so as to envelop or darken:The fog shut down rapidly.
    2. to close, esp. temporarily, as a factory; cease manufacturing or business operations.
    3. Also,shut down onupon.Informal.to hinder; check; stop.
  3. She broke her leg in a fall and has been shut in for several weeks.
    1. to enclose.
    2. to confine, as from illness:She broke her leg in a fall and has been shut in for several weeks.
  4. an outpost almost completely shut off from civilization.
    1. to stop the passage of (water, traffic, electricity, etc.); close off.
    2. to isolate; separate:an outpost almost completely shut off from civilization.
    1. to keep from entering; exclude.
    2. to hide from view.
    3. to prevent (an opponent or opposing team) from scoring, as in a game of baseball.
  5. I thought the neighbors would never shut up and let me sleep.
    1. to imprison; confine.
    2. to close entirely.
    3. to stop talking; become silent:I thought the neighbors would never shut up and let me sleep.
    4. to stop (someone) from talking; silence.
—adj.
  1. closed; fastened up: a shut door.
  2. checked.
  3. free of; rid of: He wished he were shut of all his debts.
—n.
  1. the act or time of shutting or closing.
  2. the line where two pieces of welded metal are united.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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