shutter

1 of 2

noun

shut·​ter ˈshə-tər 

1

: one that shuts

2

: a usually movable cover or screen for a window or door

3

: a mechanical device that limits the passage of light

especially : a camera component that allows light to enter by opening and closing an aperture

4

: the movable louvers in a pipe organ by which the swell box is opened

shutterless

ˈshə-tər-ləs 

adjective

shutter

2 of 2

verb

shuttered; shuttering; shutters

transitive verb

1

: to close by or as if by shutters

corporations shuttering their production plants

2

: to furnish with shutters

Examples of shutter in a Sentence

Verb

They locked the doors and shuttered the windows.

They declared bankruptcy and shuttered the store.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The only difference compared with the older model is that the cutout and shutter switch are now in the middle of the top edge rather than toward the left side. —PCMAG, 26 Nov. 2024

If using a smartphone, Visit Iceland suggests using night mode and a low shutter speed. —Ty Roush, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

Verb

The administration has also shuttered a special Justice Department office that investigated dictatorship-era crimes. —Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024

Five locations – Glasgow Parkhead, Bedford, Loughborough, Yate and Swindon Regent Circus – were shuttered following the plan’s July announcement. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shutter

1 of 2 noun

shut·​ter ˈshət-ər 

1

: a movable cover for a window that swings on hinges like a door

2

: a device in a camera that opens to allow light to enter when a picture is taken

shutter

2 of 2 verb

: to close with or by shutters

kept the house shuttered