shutter
Americannoun
-
shutters
plural
-
a solid or louvered movable cover for a window.
-
a movable cover, slide, etc., for an opening.
-
a person or thing that shuts.
-
Photography. a mechanical device for opening and closing the aperture of a camera lens to expose film or the like.
verb (used with object)
-
shutters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shuttered,
past participle, past
-
shuttering
present participle
-
to close or provide with shutters.
She shuttered the windows.
-
to close (a store or business operations) for the day or permanently.
verb (used without object)
-
shutters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shuttered,
past participle, past
-
shuttering
present participle
noun
-
a hinged doorlike cover, often louvred and usually one of a pair, for closing off a window
-
to close business at the end of the day or permanently
-
photog an opaque shield in a camera that, when tripped, admits light to expose the film or plate for a predetermined period, usually a fraction of a second. It is either built into the lens system or lies in the focal plane of the lens ( focal-plane shutter )
-
photog a rotating device in a film projector that permits an image to be projected onto the screen only when the film is momentarily stationary
-
music one of the louvred covers over the mouths of organ pipes, operated by the swell pedal
-
a person or thing that shuts
verb
-
to close with or as if with a shutter or shutters
-
to equip with a shutter or shutters
Synonym Usage
See curtain.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shuttersimple
-
shutterssimple
-
have shutteredperfect
-
has shutteredperfect
-
am shutteringprogressive
-
are shutteringprogressive
-
is shutteringprogressive
-
have been shutteringperfect progressive
-
has been shutteringperfect progressive
Past
-
shutteredsimple
-
had shutteredperfect
-
was shutteringprogressive
-
were shutteringprogressive
-
had been shutteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shutter
Explanation
A shutter is a solid window covering that you close to block out light and open to let the sun shine in. Long ago, most houses had outdoor shutters that acted as an old-fashioned security system, as well as protection from sunlight and stormy weather. Many modern homes have decorative shutters that don't actually open and close. There's another kind of shutter inside your camera, which also opens and closes to let light through to capture a photographic image. Shutter dates from the 1720s, when it was short for window-shutters.
Vocabulary lists containing shutter
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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.
See Examples For:
"We are very focused on advancing the closure of Rikers Island on the fastest timeline possible," said Dana Kaplan, who is overseeing the mayor's efforts to shutter the jail.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
The jail, which opened in 1932 and has counted John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman, rapper Tupac Shakur, and Sex Pistols musician Sid Vicious among its residents, was due to shutter by 2027.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
He said: "It's just crazy after the incident with the lady on the shutter and now this."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Other grocery store chains such as Grocery Outlet and Kroger have announced plans to shutter California stores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Two-inch oak all round. Add the weight of the shutter itself, and what’ll you have to be sure of?”
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
The two of them live on-site in what looks like a family home straight out of a 1990s Disney film, a white colonial home with blue shutters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Century-old El Floridita is cloaked with metal shutters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Reflective films, blinds, shutters, awnings and shaded roofs can all reduce heat gain.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
"If the shutters outside were painted and the building was clean it would be a lot more appealing for you walking down the street to go 'I wonder what's in there'."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Even with the windows closed and the shutters fastened I could hear it; a low sullen murmur as the waves broke on the white shingle in the cove.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
When the Journal wrote to Rezazadeh on Telegram, a person identifying themself as a former ZedPay employee said the company had closed down because of the sanctions, and Binance had also shuttered its account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
That includes a shuttered state prison that began holding ICE detainees earlier this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Thousands were fired and departments were shuttered, leaving chaos everywhere.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
Whereas once closing plants in Germany would have been unthinkable, the company has now shuttered one in Dresden and may shut down four more.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Even so, it was strange to waken in so closed a space, the air stale, the only light being that which slipped through the cracks in the shuttered window.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
The attacks are forcing schoolchildren out of classes into shelters, shuttering businesses, and disrupting public transport.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The group said that a consequence of the ban could be refineries shuttering in the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
They must make a choice: help each other as a global village or repeat COVID-19 style global shuttering.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The break left a giant sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and sent about 17 million gallons of water into surrounding neighborhoods, shuttering businesses, and flooding homes and underground parking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Mr. Gideon leans back suddenly, his expression shuttering.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
