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.
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 Though the case seems open-and-shut to the lead detective (Bill Camp), the show initially aligns itself closely with the alleged perpetrator and his lawyer (John Turturro), only to raise troubling questions later. Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2024 Variations in the gene’s expression would have provided a simple, open-and-shut way to explain how the evolutionary screws on rattlesnake motor neurons are adjusted. Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024 Sounds like an open-and-shut case, but German director Ilker Çatak argues that the rules of integrity are as flimsy as the rules of surviving a horror flick. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Such a journalistic scoop ought to be an open-and-shut case: publish, expose, let the authorities take action. Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024 For their part, the authorities show an alarming lack of curiosity when presented with what seems like an open-and-shut case. Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near open-and-shut

Cite this Entry

“Open-and-shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open-and-shut. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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
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