shutout
Americannoun
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an act or instance of shutting out.
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the state of being shut out.
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Sports.
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a preventing of the opposite side from scoring, as in baseball.
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any game in which one side does not score.
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noun
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a less common word for a lockout See lock out
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sport a game in which the opposing team does not score
verb
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to keep out or exclude
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to conceal from sight
we planted trees to shut out the view of the road
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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
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World Cup Vocabulary
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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.
Cypress 3, Villa Park 0: Drew Slevcove threw the shutout with nine strikeouts to lock up the league championship.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
Murrieta Mesa 13, Great Oak 0: Tatum Wolff hit a three-run home run and also threw five shutout innings with nine strikeouts and no walks.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
After working five shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week, Soriano’s ERA now sits at a microscopic 0.24 through 37⅔ frames.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
San Fernando 1, Verdugo Hills 0: Alex Torres threw the shutout with seven strikeouts and no walks.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 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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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.