- 1 [transitive, intransitive] shut (something) to make something close; to become closed Philip went into his room and shut the door behind him. I can't shut my suitcase—it's too full. She shut her eyes and fell asleep immediately. He shut his book and looked up. The window won't shut. The doors open and shut automatically.
- 2 [intransitive, transitive] shut (something) (British English) when a shop/store, restaurant, etc. shuts or when somebody shuts it, it stops being open for business and you cannot go into it The bank shuts at 4. We left the hotel only to discover that the whole city shuts at 10.30. Which Word?close / shutYou can close and shut doors, windows, your eyes, mouth, etc. Shut can suggest more noise and is often found in phrases such as slammed shut, banged shut, snapped shut. Shut is also usually used for containers such as boxes, suitcases, etc. To talk about the time when shops, offices, etc. are not open, use close or shut:What time do the banks close/shut? A strike has shut the factory. You can also use closed or shut (North American English usually closed):The store is closed/shut today. Especially in North American English, shut can sound less polite. Closed is used in front of a noun, but shut is not:a closed window. We usually use closed about roads, airports, etc:The road is closed because of the snow. Close is also used in formal English to talk about ending a meeting or conversation. Word OriginOld English scyttan ‘put (a bolt) in position to hold fast’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch schutten ‘shut up, obstruct’, also to shoot.Extra examples I can’t shut my suitcase—it’s too full. I shut my eyes against the bright light. The window won’t shut.Idioms
- 1to shut a door hard when somebody is trying to come in
- 2to refuse to talk to somebody or meet them, in a rude way
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BrE BrE//ʃʌt//; NAmE NAmE//ʃʌt//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they shut BrE BrE//ʃʌt//; NAmE NAmE//ʃʌt//
he / she / it shuts BrE BrE//ʃʌts//; NAmE NAmE//ʃʌts//
past simple shut BrE BrE//ʃʌt//; NAmE NAmE//ʃʌt//
past participle shut BrE BrE//ʃʌt//; NAmE NAmE//ʃʌt//
-ing form shutting BrE BrE//ˈʃʌtɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈʃʌtɪŋ//
to make it unlikely that something will happen She was careful not to close the door on the possibility of further talks.
(informal) to not talk about something to somebody because it is a secret or because it will upset or annoy them I've warned them to keep their mouths shut about this. Now she's upset—why couldn't you keep your mouth shut?
to refuse to listen to something She decided to shut her ears to all the rumours.
to pretend that you have not noticed something so that you do not have to deal with it You can't just close your eyes to his violence. They seem intent on shutting their eyes to the problems of pollution.
(slang) a rude way of telling somebody to be quiet or stop talking
(British English, informal) to close a business permanently or to stop working for the day
having enough experience to be able to do something easily I've made this trip so often, I could do it with my eyes shut. Phrasal Verbsshut awayshut yourself awayshut downshut inshut offshut yourself offshut off fromshut outshut up
Check pronunciation: shut
