shut

1 /SVt/ verb past tense and past participle past tense and past participle shut present participle shutting

1 (I, T) to close something, or to become closed: The door shut with a bang. | She lay down on her bed and shut her eyes. | Laruelle put the jewels back and shut the lid of the box.

—see open 2

2 shut sth in the door/drawer etc to shut a door etc against something so that it gets trapped there: Watch out! You're going to get the cat's tail shut in the door.

3 shut your mouth/trap/face! spoken used to rudely and angrily tell someone to stop talking

4 shut it! BrE spoken used to tell someone rudely and angrily to stop talking

5 (I, T) especially BrE to stop being open to the public for a short time or permanently; close 1 (3): The post office shuts at 5 o'clock. | He lost his job when they shut the factory.

6 shut your eyes/ears to to refuse deliberately to notice or pay attention to something: You simply can't shut your eyes to the truth of the matter.

7 shut your ears to to deliberately not listen to something: He could not shut his ears to the cries and groans coming from inside the room.

shut sb/sth away phrasal verb (T)

a) to put someone or something in a place away from other people where they cannot be seen

b) shut yourself away to stay at home or go somewhere quiet, so that you can be alone: She shut herself away in her room to work on her novel.

shut down phrasal verb

1 (I, T) if a company, factory, large machine etc shuts down or is shut down, it stops operating: There's a rumor going around that the plant is shutting down next year. | The printing press had been shut down for servicing.

2 (transitive shut someone down) AmE informal to prevent an opposing team or player from playing well or getting points: We all knew that if we wanted to win we'd have to shut down Bobby Mitchell.

shut sb in phrasal verb (T) to put or keep someone in a room and stop them from getting out: The children would be shut in the dormitory at night. shut off phrasal verb

1 (I, T) if a machine, tool etc shuts off or if you shut it off, it stops operating: The machine shuts off automatically if it gets too hot. | shut sth off: I let the engine run for a minute and then shut it off.

2 (transitive shut something off) to prevent goods or supplies from being available or being delivered: a strike that closed the mines and shut off coal supplies

3 shut yourself off to avoid meeting and talking to other people

(+ from): After her last movie, Garbo shut herself off from the world.

4 be shut off from to be separated from other people or things, especially so that you are not influenced by them: The valley is completely shut off from the modern world by a range of high mountains.

shut sb/sth out phrasal verb (T)

1 (shut someone out) to deliberately not let someone join you in an activity or share your thoughts and feelings: I felt I was being shut out from all the family's affairs. | How can I help you if you just keep shutting me out all the time?

2 (shut someone/something out) to prevent someone or something from entering a place: Paula packed the bottom of the doors with blankets to shut out the draught. | heavy curtains that shut out the sunlight

3 (shut something out) to stop yourself from thinking about or noticing something, so that you are not affected by it: When she's reading, she seems to be able to shut out the rest of the world.

4 (shut out someone) AmE to defeat an opposing team and prevent them from getting any points: The Chicago Bears shut out the Broncos.

shut up phrasal verb

1 shut up! spoken used to tell someone rudely to stop talking: Oh, shut up! I don't want to hear your excuses.

(+ about): We know you won, but just shut up about it, okay!

2 (transitive shut someone up) to make someone stop talking or be quiet: The only way to shut Philippa up was to give her something to eat.

3 (transitive shut up someone) to keep someone in a place away from other people, and prevent them from leaving: I've had a terrible cold and been shut up in my room for a week.

4 (transitive shut something up) to close a shop, room etc so that people cannot get into it: Bernadette cleaned the attic and then shut it up for another year.

5 shut up shop informal BrE to close a business or stop working, at the end of the day or permanently

2 adjective (not usually before noun)

1 not open; closed: Is the door shut properly? | He sat with his eyes shut. | blow/slam/bang shut: The door slammed shut behind him. | pull/kick/slide etc sth shut: Jenny pulled the window shut.

2 BrE not open for business; closed AmE: It's 6.30 pm and the banks are shut.

(+ for): The first four hotels we tried were shut for the winter.