shutout
Americannoun
-
an act or instance of shutting out.
-
the state of being shut out.
-
Sports.
-
a preventing of the opposite side from scoring, as in baseball.
-
any game in which one side does not score.
-
noun
-
a less common word for a lockout See lock out
-
sport a game in which the opposing team does not score
verb
-
to keep out or exclude
-
to conceal from sight
we planted trees to shut out the view of the road
-
to prevent (an opponent) from scoring
Etymology
Origin of shutout
1850–55, noun use of verb phrase shut out
Vocabulary lists containing shutout
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
World Cup Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
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
![]()
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.