shut out

Idioms  

1. Exclude, deny entry to, block, as in Anyone convicted of a crime is shut out from the legal profession , or These curtains shut out all the light . [Late 1300s]

2. Prevent an opponent from scoring, as in They were shut out of the last two games , or Reagan shut out Ford in the Texas primary in 1976. Originating in baseball about 1880, this usage was later transferred to other sports and then even broader usage.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shut out

Americans’ incomes are finally growing faster than home prices — but frustrated buyers shut out of the housing market may not notice much of a difference.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Proponents of this program have questioned why job-training programs were previously shut out of the federal financial aid system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

But as the middle-class splinters along generational lines, other political experts warn that many ordinary Angelenos feel increasingly shut out of L.A. politics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

But with key Gulf producers shut out of the global market, pledges to raise output in a bid to ease spiralling prices are unlikely to sway traders.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

But equally, without exception, so that no one felt shut out by some irrelevant mischance of birth.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld