shutter

American  

[shuht-er] / ˈʃʌt ər /

noun

1. a solid or louvered movable cover for a window.

2. a movable cover, slide, etc., for an opening.

3. a person or thing that shuts.

4. Photography. a mechanical device for opening and closing the aperture of a camera lens to expose film or the like.

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verb (used with object)

1. to close or provide with shutters.

   She shuttered the windows.

2. to close (a store or business operations) for the day or permanently.

verb (used without object)

1. to close or close down.

   The factory has shuttered temporarily.

shutter British  

/ ˈʃʌtə /

noun

1. a hinged doorlike cover, often louvred and usually one of a pair, for closing off a window

2. to close business at the end of the day or permanently

3. photog an opaque shield in a camera that, when tripped, admits light to expose the film or plate for a predetermined period, usually a fraction of a second. It is either built into the lens system or lies in the focal plane of the lens ( focal-plane shutter )

4. photog a rotating device in a film projector that permits an image to be projected onto the screen only when the film is momentarily stationary

5. music one of the louvred covers over the mouths of organ pipes, operated by the swell pedal

6. a person or thing that shuts

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verb

1. to close with or as if with a shutter or shutters

2. to equip with a shutter or shutters

Related Words

See curtain.

Other Word Forms

• shutterless
  adjective
• unshuttered
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of shutter

First recorded in 1535–45; shut + -er ¹

Explanation

A shutter is a solid window covering that you close to block out light and open to let the sun shine in. Long ago, most houses had outdoor shutters that acted as an old-fashioned security system, as well as protection from sunlight and stormy weather. Many modern homes have decorative shutters that don't actually open and close. There's another kind of shutter inside your camera, which also opens and closes to let light through to capture a photographic image. Shutter dates from the 1720s, when it was short for window-shutters.

Example Sentences

The Times's Kevin Maher awarded the film four-stars, calling it a "career high" for Shutter Island actor DiCaprio, adding the film is "a surefire Oscar frontrunner".

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2025

That includes Jenny Sebold, owner of Rebel Heart clothing and gift store and Pink Shutter Flowers, who called it “devastating” to see her businesses gutted.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023

Micro Shutter Array: A grid of 248,000 small doors can open or close to measure spectra—light spread into its constituent wavelengths—from up to 100 points in a single frame.

From Scientific American • Dec. 1, 2022

Dealers will modify the Under Engine Shield and Active Grille Shutter to address safety concerns.

From Reuters • Jul. 8, 2022

Good; now turn my face to the Shutter.

From Westward Ho!, or, the voyages and adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, of Burrough, in the county of Devon, in the reign of her most glorious majesty Queen Elizabeth by Kingsley, Charles

Related Words

• curtain