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shutout

American  
[shuht-out] / ˈʃʌtˌaʊt /

noun

  1. an act or instance of shutting out.

  2. the state of being shut out.

  3. Sports.

    1. a preventing of the opposite side from scoring, as in baseball.

    2. any game in which one side does not score.


shutout British  
/ ˈʃʌtˌaʊt /

noun

  1. a less common word for a lockout See lock out

  2. sport a game in which the opposing team does not score

"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

verb

  1. to keep out or exclude

  2. to conceal from sight

    we planted trees to shut out the view of the road

  3. to prevent (an opponent) from scoring

"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

Etymology

Origin of shutout

1850–55, noun use of verb phrase shut out

Vocabulary lists containing shutout

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.

See Examples For:

The buzz: Brazil won Group C, posting consecutive 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland to close out the first round and run goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s shutout streak to 249 minutes.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 28, 2026

Now he has a World Cup shutout and with another clean sheet Thursday, he’ll join Matt Turner as the only American keepers to post back-to-back shutouts in a World Cup in 96 years.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 23, 2026

But after three straight starts, three straight wins and one series-clinching shutout, his name will be etched on the Stanley Cup forever.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 15, 2026

With Bussi’s shutout performance in Game 6, Carolina defeated the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0, to clinch the franchise’s second championship.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 15, 2026

Game one zips by G4 like a pronghorn antelope, fast and furious, and just when we wind the corner to a record thirteen-goal shutout our goalie goes down with a, get this, broken pinkie toe.

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

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