shut down

present singular third person shuts down · participle present shutting down

1. transitiveTo close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily.

   The company shuts down underperforming lines.

   5 more examples

   The store was shut down at the end of the year.

   The project will be shutting down before the transfers come through.

   They are planning to shut down the entire building at the end of the month.

   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

   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

   1. ergativetransitiveTo turn off or stop.

      My computer is shutting down as we speak.

      4 more examples

      It's a good idea to shut down the machine before you leave.

      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 28, “Main-Line Diesel-Electric Locomotives for the Eastern Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 395

      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

   2. intransitivetransitiveTo stop offering a service, such as a bar; to perform the necessary tasks to stop a service or close a function.

      Mary will shut down the breakfast buffet at ten-thirty.

      2 more examples

      The restaurant shuts down at two o'clock in the morning.

      The last step to finish shutting down the bar is to take the cash drawer to the safe.

   3. datedintransitivetransitiveTo become dark.

      Once the night shut down, I couldn't see my way home.

      2 more examples

      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

      The night shut down on a dreary scene of smoking desolation

      1898, McClure's Magazine, volume 10, page 520

2. figurativelytransitiveTo suppress, block out, or reject something.

   I asked her out, but she shut that down.

   3 more examples

   She made a proposal to reorganize the department, but management shut her down.

   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

   1. figurativelytransitiveTo render (something) ineffective.

      We shut down the other team's strategy.

   2. figurativelyintransitivetransitiveTo 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.

3. slangauto racing; car culture; auto racing; car cultureTo pass (another vehicle), especially quickly.

   I opened that throttle and shut him down.

   1 more example

   Tach it up, tach it up / Buddy gonna shut you down

   1963, Brian Wilson, Roger Christian, “Shut Down”, performed by The Beach Boys