shut out
Idioms-
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]
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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.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While you’ve been shut out, they have made aircraft carrier-loads of money, and that’s just wrong.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
The country has been shut out of global markets since 2017, and it will seek a reorganization as relations with the U.S. thaw.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
“It’s a forced therapy where you can be alone with yourself and shut out the rest of the world.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
The arrangement appears to be generous, but it could shut out her sons if she dies first.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
She shut out noise, shut out movement, shut out anything other than the sound of her breathing as her focus narrowed on the first target.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
