shut-in

1 of 3

noun

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

2 of 3

adjective

1
: confined to one's home or an institution by illness or incapacity
2
a
: secretive, brooding
a bitter, shut-in faceClaudia Cassidy
b
: tending to avoid social contact : withdrawn
the shut-in personality typeS. K. Weinberg

shut in

3 of 3

verb

shut in; shutting in; shuts in

transitive verb

1
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
Noun
With his zeal for Jesus sweaters and his living-room church organ, Bernie plays the bumbling househusband to his successful businesswoman wife Eva (Alicia Silverstone), and father to his diligent scientist son Adam (Walt Klink) and moody shut-in daughter Sarah (Gaite Jansen). Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024 Caitlin Jett, a spokesperson for Newton County Sheriff’s Office, declined to say whether another shut-in was planned last year. Faith Karimi, CNN, 30 Oct. 2023 Hurley also enjoyed visiting shut-ins and nursing home residents, entertaining the seniors with Irish tunes. Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023 Craig goes home to Evelyn (Mullally), an eccentric old shut-in surrounded by tchotchkes, while Trevor pays Harris (Lane) a visit, prompting his dad to admit his homosexuality. Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023 Whether political atomization or stan culture, baby-talking TikTok NPC cosplayers, or shut-in Twitch gamers, American overzealousness always meets its proper obsession. Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023 This morning’s price gains are also being supported by increasing storm activity in the Gulf of Mexico, which may lead to offshore gas production facility shut-ins. WSJ, 21 Aug. 2023 Fortunately, Stanfield rises to the occasion with an enjoyable, quietly touching performance as a skeptical shut-in mourning a tragic loss who rediscovers himself during a life-affirming albeit goofy quest. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 July 2023 Among the energy companies, Vermilion has shut-in about 30k barrels/day, Crescent Point 45k/day, and Pipestone Energy 20k/day. wsj.com, 8 May 2023
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
Vintage fire doors, made of metal and held ajar by ropes, are angled to slide shut in response to flames. Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024 Schools were shut in several states and parts of two interstate highways were closed as more than a foot of snow landed on a huge area from southeastern Colorado to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2024 This past summer, Scottsdale police found a dead husky puppy with its mouth taped shut in a city alley, according to the County Attorney's Office. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 22 Feb. 2024 Schools and businesses are shut in parts of the country. Stephanie Busari, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024 Zero restaurants were ordered shut in Palm Beach County over the same time period. Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2024 By some estimates, 100,000 small businesses, or about 2 percent, permanently shut in the first two months of the pandemic. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2023 Last winter, a student group got their hands on several hundred feet of old firefighter hose that Neely and her fellow teachers could use to bind their classroom doors shut in an emergency. Steven Rich, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023 New York is heading toward a cold snap and possible snow showers next week, and Tesla doors have been known to freeze shut in low temperatures. Curbed, 17 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shut-in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shut-in was in the 14th century

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 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shut-in

noun
ˈshət-ˌin
: a sick person unable to go outdoors

Medical Definition

shut-in

1 of 2 noun
: a person who is confined to home, a room, or bed because of illness or incapacity

shut-in

2 of 2 adjective
1
: confined to one's home or an institution by illness or incapacity
2
: tending to avoid social contact : withdrawn
diagnostic and prognostic significance of the shut-in personality typeS. K. Weinberg

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