Dictionary

shut down en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (transitive) To close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily.
   • The time is now, the place the grim industrial city of Shaoyang, China, which has just been informed that its No. 2 Space Rocket Factory is going to shut down. 2001 November 2, Justin Hill, Carolyn See, “The Once and Future China / The Drink and Dream Teahouse”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Jan 2024:
   • The project will be shutting down before the transfers come through.
   • The company shuts down underperforming lines.
   • The store was shut down at the end of the year.
   • Alex quickly shut down her argument. 'But I'm the male. They lead in dancing, why shouldn't I be the lead here too? And besides, I was picked, you applied, which basically means I'm the lead anyway. […] 2010, Jonathan Ashcroft, Scavengers, page 41:
   • The typical business model relies on a line operating intensively from March or April through to September or October, before shutting down during the winter months - at which point essential repairs and maintenance can take place using income accrued during the busy summer months, ahead of the cycle starting over again. 2020 July 1, Daniel Puddicombe, “How can heritage lines recover from enforced closures?”, in Rail, page 30:
   • They are planning to shut down the entire building at the end of the month.
2. (ergative, transitive) To close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily. ▸ To turn off or stop.
   • Safety devices ensure that the engines are automatically shut down in the event of overspeed, low pressure in the lubricating oil system, low cooling-water pressure, or high cooling-water temperature. 1955 October, “Main-Line Diesel-Electric Locomotives for Ireland”, in Railway Magazine, page 718:
   • Additional warning lights are provided to indicate diesel engine shut-down, traction motor blower failure or high engine cooling water temperature. On the assistant's side of the cab, another light shows should the train heating boiler shut down. 1958 June 14, “Main-Line Diesel-Electric Locomotives for the Eastern Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 395:
   • It's a good idea to shut down the machine before you leave.
   • My computer is shutting down as we speak.
   • On the morning of Thursday, November 3, flood water rose over the conductor rails in platforms 1 to 3 of Lewes station and the electric service to London had to be shut down. 1961 January, “Talking of Trains: Flooding at Lewes”, in Trains Illustrated, page 5:
3. (intransitive, transitive) To close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily. ▸ To stop offering a service, such as a bar; to perform the necessary tasks to stop a service or close a function.
   • The last step to finish shutting down the bar is to take the cash drawer to the safe.
   • The restaurant shuts down at two o'clock in the morning.
   • Mary will shut down the breakfast buffet at ten-thirty.
4. (dated, intransitive, of a night, transitive) To close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily. ▸ To become dark.
   • The night shut down on a dreary scene of smoking desolation 1898, McClure's Magazine, volume 10, page 520:
   • Once the night shut down, I couldn't see my way home.
   • The night shutting down, we could see but little of the wreckage offshore; but, as the sea came high up on the cliffs, we could not force ourselves to go away from the place, so great was the fascination of the storm. 1907, Ruel Perley Smith, Prisoners of Fortune: A Tale of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, page 100:
5. (figuratively, transitive) To suppress, block out, or reject something.
   • The head office shut the project down as soon as I presented it to the board.
   • And I learned a lot, and, um, some of it seemed a little bit too interesting? It felt a bit like I uncovered a part of myself that I've been purposefully just shutting down for as long as I can remember and never questioned why. 2024 March 1, F1NN5TER, 1:12 from the start, in Coming Out, archived from the original on 14 May 2024:
   • She made a proposal to reorganize the department, but management shut her down.
   • I asked her out, but she shut that down.
6. (figuratively, transitive) To suppress, block out, or reject something. ▸ To render (something) ineffective.
   • We shut down the other team's strategy.
7. (figuratively, intransitive, transitive) To suppress, block out, or reject something. ▸ To emotionally withdraw into oneself as a defense mechanism; to block out external stressors.
   • I can't talk to him about the accident; he just shuts down anytime I try.
8. (qualifier:auto racing; car culture; auto racing; car culture, slang) To pass (another vehicle), especially quickly.
   • Tach it up, tach it up / Buddy gonna shut you down 1963, Brian Wilson, Roger Christian, “Shut Down”, performed by The Beach Boys:
   • I opened that throttle and shut him down.

Forms

Deriveds

shutdown

Synonyms

power off · shut off · power down · turn off · wind down · close down

Translations (46)

bg спирам (to turn off or stop) · id mematikan (to turn off or stop) · bg изключвам (to turn off or stop) · sl izklopiti (to turn off or stop) · fi sammuttaa (to turn off or stop) · ru остановить (to turn off or stop) · ro închide (to turn off or stop) · ca apagar (to turn off or stop) · eo finigi (to close, terminate, or end) · ro stinge (to turn off or stop) · ast apagar (to turn off or stop) · lad serrar (to turn off or stop) · pt apagar (to turn off or stop) · bg закривам (to close, terminate, or end) · km បិទ (to turn off or stop) · fi sulkea (to close, terminate, or end) · mi whakaweto (to close, terminate, or end) · ru выключить (to turn off or stop) · oc estupar (to turn off or stop) · sl ugasniti (to turn off or stop) · ja シャットダウン (to turn off or stop) · nl afsluiten (to turn off or stop) · vi tắt nguồn (to turn off or stop) · ms mematikan (to turn off or stop) · sc istuda (to turn off or stop) · eo malŝalti (to turn off or stop) · pt encerrar (to turn off or stop) · hu kikapcsol (to turn off or stop) · ur بند کرنا (to turn off or stop) · gl apagar (to turn off or stop) · sh isključiti (to turn off or stop) · nl uitzetten (to turn off or stop) · ne बन्द गर्नु (to turn off or stop) · es apagar (to close, terminate, or end) · sk vypnúť (to turn off or stop) · sl izključiti (to turn off or stop) · pt desligar (to turn off or stop) · it spegnere (to turn off or stop) · sc studai (to turn off or stop) · es apagar (to turn off or stop) · mi whakaweto (to turn off or stop) · fr éteindre (to turn off or stop) · sc istudare (to turn off or stop) · de herunterfahren (to turn off or stop) · bg затварям (to close, terminate, or end) · pl wyłączyć (to turn off or stop)