shut down; shutting down; shuts down
: to settle so as to obscure vision : close in
the night shut down early
: to make ineffective in competition
shut down the opposition's offensive line
Examples of shutdown in a Sentence
Noun
the shutdown of the factory
the factory resumed operation after a brief shutdown for repairs
Recent Examples on the Web
Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Production shutdowns, layoffs BrightDrop's struggles come less than a year after GM folded the commercial vans into its Chevrolet brand in a bid to boost its performance as GM tries to gain ground against competitors, including Ford and Rivian, in the electric van space.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Drivers heading north out of Miami will want to avoid Interstate 95 as the cleanup continues from a multicar crash that had shut down all main line northbound lanes near the Northwest 81st Street entrance.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
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Noun
Now standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 225 pounds, Dillon has built a reputation as a hard-hitting, shot-blocking shutdown blueliner who has remained durable despite his physical playing style.
—Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Production shutdowns, layoffs BrightDrop's struggles come less than a year after GM folded the commercial vans into its Chevrolet brand in a bid to boost its performance as GM tries to gain ground against competitors, including Ford and Rivian, in the electric van space.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
Fittingly for that show, Cooper’s acceptance speech aimed to shut down toxic masculine ideas about shame and just trying some stuff out.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Drivers heading north out of Miami will want to avoid Interstate 95 as the cleanup continues from a multicar crash that had shut down all main line northbound lanes near the Northwest 81st Street entrance.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
Cite this Entry
“Shutdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shutdown. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
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