1
: perfectly simple : obvious
2
: easily settled
an open-and-shut case of grand larceny

Examples of open-and-shut in a Sentence

an open-and-shut case of robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Newton’s candidacy should be an open-and-shut case. Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 Lumet and a remarkable cast headed by Henry Fonda create high drama as jurors arguing a case that all but Fonda’s character sees as open-and-shut — leading him to dig in in an attempt to make everyone else see it his way. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025 The jury deliberated for less than one hour per count to deliver its verdict, suggesting this was an open-and-shut case. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025 Everything comes to a head during a seemingly open-and-shut case of drug trafficking. James Marsh, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025 Running back is another open-and-shut case with the same projection from before camp. Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024 Meanwhile, the case’s ambitious prosecutor Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) has political aspirations riding on the trial, while the defendant’s attorney Eric Resnick (Chris Messina) tells her this is hardly an open-and-shut case. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024 While everyone else sees an open-and-shut case, Justin’s life flashes before his eyes. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024 The trial has developed from what initially seemed to investigators like an open-and-shut case into a reckoning with a criminal justice system the public no longer trusts. Aja Romano, Vox, 3 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of open-and-shut was in 1841

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Open-and-shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open-and-shut. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

open-and-shut

adjective
ˌōp-(ə-)nən-ˈshət
1
: perfectly plain : obvious
2
: easily settled
an open-and-shut case

More from Merriam-Webster on open-and-shut

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!