to shut down
541
2.9
- phrasal verb
- /ʃʌt daʊn/
:
cerrar (empresa, fábrica)
- A nuclear reactor in Alabama had to shut down briefly last summer when cooling water ran low.
- businesses shut down
- the government shut down
- shut down the plant
News just broke that CNN Plus is shutting down after three weeks.
- News just broke that CNN Plus is shutting down after three weeks.
- We haven't seen Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz.
- What was the revenge for shutting down my weed business?
- And Israel, meanwhile, is shutting down for a second time.
- Wow, Russia could shut down our power grid.
- But in LA, yeah, we shut down Sunset Blvd.
- I'm surprised the school didn't get shut down after Jimmy got shot.
- You know, I think COVID shut down my bus riding quite considerably.
- All right, your whole body shuts down, OK, except for your brain.
- So yesterday for the first time, I said I've shut down all notifications.
- And then COVID comes and your business is shut down for six months, right?
Examples
-
I read that they're going to shut down our bus line.
-
But you also need to shut down the computer at some point.
-
- And we have to shut down the site.
-
When we shut down the project.
-
Please shut down all transport systems.
-
Wow, Russia could shut down our power grid.
-
I mean, they had a small outbreak and they shut down the port for a month.
-
In New Orleans, the public school system was shut down, and many other schools and districts were affected.
Academic text (2011) -
They shut down the cell towers.
-
They decided to shut down the factory for repairs last week.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To shut something so it is not open
631
1.3
To stop a machine or device from working with a switch
620
3.8
To stop something suddenly before it is finished
206
2.4
To stop moving or make something stop moving
187
3.4
To stop working for a short time
141
3.9
To stop something officially for a short time
94
2.9
To stop operating permanently, like a shop or company
83
2.6
Stop something from working by using a switch or valve
81
5.3
Close a business because it cannot pay its costs
63
3.9
To make a device, system, or account stop working
62
3.0
To end something so it no longer happens
46
3.0
To remove something that is fixed or standing, for example stage equipment
44
3.5
To stop a shop or business from operating
42
2.5
Stop working or lose power, for example lights
37
1.1
To stop a machine or light by using a control such as a button
36
2.7
To switch off a light or machine
17
4.0
To permanently stop operating as a business or organization
11
3.9
To stop doing business for a short time or forever
7
5.3
Cause a computer system, website, or service to stop working
6
4.2
To stop working, used for a website or system
4
5.8
To make something stop working
1
4.7
Close a shop for the day or forever
End a computer or website connection when you finish using it
Antonyms
How Operational
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to stop or turn off operation' is directly derivable from combining 'shut' (to close) with the particle 'down' (indicating cessation or non-functioning); a learner who knows both constituents can infer the sense. This verb+particle composition is a regular, productive pattern in English (and has analogous logical mappings in many languages), so the expression is immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Shut down likely comes from the simple picture of using shut and down: you shut a shop door and pull a metal shutter down, or you turn a switch down so a machine stops. That's why to shut down something means to close it or make it 'stop' working.