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.
After proving herself wrong, she has gone on to write a book partly about her experiences entitled My Body is a Meadow, about reclaiming the natural world for all who feel shut out from it.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
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
And after converting eight of 16 power-play opportunities against the Oilers, the Ducks were shut out in four chances against the Golden Knights.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
The war has also left airlines largely shut out of critical airspace corridors in the Middle East that offer the quickest connections between Europe and Asia.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
It shut out the light, so I lit candles.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
