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shut up

 - 3 dictionary results

shut

  [shuht] verb, shut, shut⋅ting, adjective, noun
Use shut up in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to put (a door, cover, etc.) in position to close or obstruct.
2. to close the doors of (often fol. by up): to shut up a shop for the night.
3. to close (something) by bringing together or folding its parts: Shut your book. Shut the window!
4. to confine; enclose: to shut a bird into a cage.
5. to bar; exclude: They shut him from their circle.
6. to cause (a business, factory, store, etc.) to end or suspend operations: He shut his store, sold his house, and moved away. We're shutting the office for two weeks in June.
7. to bolt; bar.
–verb (used without object)
8. to become shut or closed; close.
–adjective
9. closed; fastened up: a shut door.
10. Phonetics. checked.
–noun
11. the act or time of shutting or closing.
12. the line where two pieces of welded metal are united.
—Verb phrases
13. shut down,
a. to settle over so as to envelop or darken: The fog shut down rapidly.
b. to close, esp. temporarily, as a factory; cease manufacturing or business operations.
c. Also, shut down on or upon. Informal. to hinder; check; stop.
14. shut in,
a. to enclose.
b. to confine, as from illness: She broke her leg in a fall and has been shut in for several weeks.
15. shut of, Informal. free of; rid of: He wished he were shut of all his debts.
16. shut off,
a. to stop the passage of (water, traffic, electricity, etc.); close off.
b. to isolate; separate: an outpost almost completely shut off from civilization.
17. shut out,
a. to keep from entering; exclude.
b. to hide from view.
c. to prevent (an opponent or opposing team) from scoring, as in a game of baseball.
18. shut up,
a. to imprison; confine.
b. to close entirely.
c. to stop talking; become silent: I thought the neighbors would never shut up and let me sleep.
d. to stop (someone) from talking; silence.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME schutten, OE scyttan to bolt (a door); akin to shoot

Synonyms:
1. See close. 4. jail, imprison, cage. 5. prohibit.

Antonyms:
1. open.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shut up
shut   (shŭt)   
v.   shut, shut·ting, shuts

v.   tr.

  1. To move (a door or lid, for example) so as to block passage through an opening.

  2. To block entrance to or exit from; close: shut a corridor.

  3. To fasten with a lock, catch, or latch.

  4. To confine in or as if in a closed space: shut them in a cage.

  5. To exclude from or as if from a closed space: shut the cats out of the house.

  6. To cause to stop operating: shut down a restaurant; a school that was shut for the vacation.

v.   intr.

  1. To move or become moved so as to block passage; close: a door that shuts by itself.

  2. To stop operating, especially automatically: The electricity shuts off at midnight.

n.  

  1. The act or time of shutting.

  2. The line of connection between welded pieces of metal.

  3. To stop the flow or passage of; cut off: shut off the hot water by closing a valve.

  4. To close off; isolate: loners who shut themselves off from the community.

  5. To cause (someone) to stop speaking; silence.

  6. To stop speaking.

Phrasal Verb(s):
shut off

  1. To stop the flow or passage of; cut off: shut off the hot water by closing a valve.

  2. To close off; isolate: loners who shut themselves off from the community.

shut out Sports To prevent (an opponent) from scoring any runs or points.
shut up

  1. To cause (someone) to stop speaking; silence.

  2. To stop speaking.


Idiom(s):
shut (one's) eyes toTo refuse to consider or acknowledge: administrators who shut their eyes to pervasive corruption.

[Middle English shutten, from Old English scyttan; see skeud- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

shut up

  1. Imprison, confine, enclose, as in The dog was shut up in the cellar for the night, or She shut up her memories and never talked about the past. [c. 1400]

  2. Close completely, as in The windows were shut up tightly so no rain came in. [Early 1500s] This usage also occurs in shut up shop, meaning "close the premises of a business," as in It's late, let's shut up shop now. [Late 1500s] Also see close up, def. 3.

  3. Cause someone to stop speaking, silence someone, as in It's time someone shut him up. [Early 1800s]

  4. Stop speaking, as in I've told you what I think and now I'll shut up. This usage also occurs as a rather rude imperative, as in Shut up! You've said enough. [First half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
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