shut-in

1 of 3

noun

ˈshət-ˌin 

1

: a person who is confined to home, a room, or bed because of illness or incapacity

2

: a narrow gorge-shaped part of an otherwise wide valley

3

: available oil or gas which is not being produced from an existing well

shut-in

2 of 3

adjective

ˈshət-ˈin 

1

: confined to one's home or an institution by illness or incapacity

2

a

: secretive, brooding

a bitter, shut-in face

—Claudia Cassidy

b

: tending to avoid social contact : withdrawn

the shut-in personality type

—S. K. Weinberg

shut in

3 of 3

verb

shut in; shutting in; shuts in

transitive verb

1

: confine, enclose

2

: to prevent production of (oil or gas) by closing down a well

Examples of shut-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Like Wick, Nathan Caine (Quaid) is an unassuming, socially awkward shut-in who possesses a unique set of dormant skills, which get unleashed by unpredictable (and exceptionally violent) external forces. —Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025

The shut-in tropes of the stay-at-home parent no longer apply—these women are neither disconnected nor stagnant. —Neha Ruch, TIME, 14 Jan. 2025

The filmmaker hatched the project before the COVID-19 pandemic, but somehow failed to consider that audiences have had their fill of claustrophobic shut-in stories. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Sep. 2024

Advertisement Arlo, though, is absent and presumed dead, and Naoise’s mom (Simone Kirby) has become a shut-in. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2024

Solomon wants Fizz to be a place for an online meet-cute or where frat boys and dorm shut-ins find common ground through the sale of a used textbook—an oasis for community that is as functional as it is feel-good. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 July 2024

These are among the least bellicose films A24 has ever released: dramas about sensitive oily-cake salesmen, frustrated ceramicists, lonely shut-ins, and boys who love horses. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024

Who, besides incels and shut-ins, wants to spend all day talking to chatbots? —Kevin Roose, New York Times, 9 May 2024

For many, many years by then, my mother had lived mostly as a shut-in, able to walk but very unsteadily; my father used their home’s three front porch steps to keep her indoors. —Sarah Stankorb, Longreads, 9 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shut-in

• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• deerskin
• foreskin
• fuchsin
• herein
• kingpin
• linchpin
• pigskin
• pinyin

Kids Definition

shut-in

noun

ˈshət-ˌin

: a sick person unable to go outdoors

Medical Definition

shut-in

1 of 2 noun

ˈshət-ˌin 

: a person who is confined to home, a room, or bed because of illness or incapacity

shut-in

2 of 2 adjective

ˌshət-ˌin 

1

: confined to one's home or an institution by illness or incapacity

2

: tending to avoid social contact : withdrawn

diagnostic and prognostic significance of the shut-in personality type

—S. K. Weinberg