shutoff

or shut-off

[ shuht-awf, -of ]
See synonyms for shutoff on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an object or device that shuts (something) off: the automatic shutoff on a heater.

  2. an act or instance of shutting off something, as an opening, a flow, or a service: a shutoff of electric power due to unpaid bills.

Origin of shutoff

1
First recorded in 1865–70; noun use of verb phrase shut off

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shutoff in a sentence

  • The shut-off valve at the top of the device is interposed between the sediment cup and the carburetor.

    Aviation Engines | Victor Wilfred Pag
  • It was a glorious night of early summer, yet lightning struck in that little shut-off section of the hotel.

    Cynthia's Chauffeur | Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for shut-off

shut-off

noun
  1. a device that shuts something off, esp a machine control

  2. a stoppage or cessation

verbshut off (tr, adverb)
  1. to stem the flow of

  2. to block off the passage through

  1. to isolate or separate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with shutoff

shutoff

Stop the flow or passage of, as in They shut off the water while repairs were being made. [Early 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.