shut-in
[ shuht-in ]
/ ˈʃʌtˌɪn /
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adjective
confined to one's home, a hospital, etc., as from illness.
Psychiatry. disposed to desire solitude; withdrawn; asocial.
(of an oil or gas well) temporarily sealed up.
noun
a person confined by infirmity or disease to the house, a hospital, etc.
Also called shut-in well . an oil or gas well that has been closed down.
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Origin of shut-in
1840–50, Americanism; adj., noun use of verb phrase shut in
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shut-in in a sentence
They go as far as Gangra, where the tigers are, for they are 'shutin-tongas.'
From Sea to Sea|Rudyard Kipling"He went off shutin' an hour ago," explained Phineas Glover.
Overland|John William De Forest
British Dictionary definitions for shut-in
shut-in
noun
mainly US and Canadian
- a person confined indoors by illness
- (as modifier)a shut-in patient
psychiatry a condition in which the person is highly withdrawn and unable to express his own feelingsSee also schizoid
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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