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; shutting in; shuts in
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
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
Vulture, 7 Mar. 2023
Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2024
Advertisement Kerem Shalom is the only crossing between Israel and Gaza that is designed for cargo shipments and has been the main artery for aid since the Rafah crossing with Egypt was shut in May.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shut-in 
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.
Noun
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
Adjective
When Darren Aronofsky’s film received a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, star Brendan Fraser shot to the top of the Best Actor rankings for his performance as a 600-pound shut-in.
—Vulture, 7 Mar. 2023
Verb
Kerem Shalom is the only crossing between Israel and Gaza that is designed for cargo shipments and has been the main artery for aid since the Rafah crossing with Egypt was shut in May.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2024
Advertisement Kerem Shalom is the only crossing between Israel and Gaza that is designed for cargo shipments and has been the main artery for aid since the Rafah crossing with Egypt was shut in May.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shut-in
Dictionary Entries Near shut-in
Cite this Entry
“Shut-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut-in. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
shut-in
1 of 2 noun
: a person who is confined to home, a room, or bed because of illness or incapacity
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share