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
Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
The shutdown of the website comes after the Trump administration also took down another site, climate.gov, which had been maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Ian James and Noah Haggerty Los Angeles Times, Arkansas Online, 2 July 2025
Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 1 July 2025
Does your date get overly defensive, shut down entirely or stretch a disagreement into a week-long emotional rollercoaster?
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shutdown
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Noun
The day after Wayfarer announced its shutdown, police arrested a suspect in the arson and blackmail incidents: Eduardo Aragon, 26; he has been charged with 13 criminal counts of arson, intimidation and harassment.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
The shutdown of the website comes after the Trump administration also took down another site, climate.gov, which had been maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Ian James and Noah Haggerty Los Angeles Times, Arkansas Online, 2 July 2025
Verb
The Trump administration is formally shutting down the United States Agency for International Development today, after cancelling 83% of its programs earlier this year.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 1 July 2025
Does your date get overly defensive, shut down entirely or stretch a disagreement into a week-long emotional rollercoaster?
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 July 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 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shutdown
noun
shut·down
ˈshət-ˌdau̇n 
: an ending of an activity
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