Irregular verbs  Regular verbs

shut, shuts, shutting
Synonyms: close, seal, fasten, bar, secure

Antonyms: open, unfasten, unlock, unseal, reveal

The Verb Shut – Definition, Usage, and Clarification


The verb shut is a common irregular verb that means to close something, such as a door, window, or a container, making it not open.


VERB FORMS


■ Base Form: shut
■ Past Simple: shut
■ Past Participle: shut
■ Present Participle/Gerund: shutting


USAGE AND CONTEXT


'Shut' is a direct, everyday verb, often more informal or abrupt than 'close.'


1. Closing Something
This is its primary and most literal meaning.


■ Doors/Windows: 'Could you please shut the door? It's cold outside.'
■ Containers: 'Shut the lid tightly on the jar.'
■ Eyes/Mouth: 'He shut his eyes and tried to sleep.'


2. Ceasing Operation (Figurative)
This refers to closing a business or operation, usually permanently.


■ Business: 'The old factory shut down last year.'


ℹ IMPORTANT: 'SHUT' VS. 'CLOSE' AND PHRASAL VERBS'Shut' vs. 'Close': These are often interchangeable, but 'shut' can sound more forceful or final. You can 'close' a meeting, but you 'shut down' a factory. 'Close' is generally a more neutral term.


■ Identical Verb Forms: The base, past simple, and past participle forms are all 'shut.'


■ Phrasal Verbs:Shut down: To turn off a machine or computer; to close a business. ('Remember to shut down your computer.')
■ Shut up: An impolite and abrupt way to tell someone to stop talking.
■ Shut out: To exclude or prevent from entering. ('He felt shut out of the conversation.')



SHUT - PRESENT SIMPLE
★ Ishut
★ youshut
★ he/she/itshuts
★ weshut
★ you (plural)shut
★ theyshut
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Present Simple
- I shut the window when it gets cold.
- You shut the door quietly.
- He shuts his computer down every night. | The shop shuts at 6 PM.
- We shut the gate to the garden.
- You (plural) shut all the windows before you leave.
- They shut their eyes during scary movie scenes.
SHUT - PRESENT CONTINUOUS
★ I amshutting
★ you areshutting
★ he/she/it isshutting
★ we areshutting
★ you areshutting
★ they areshutting
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Present Continuous
- I am shutting the curtains because the sun is too bright.
- You are shutting down the system for maintenance.
- He is shutting the lid on the box. | The factory is shutting down for the holidays.
- We are shutting the door on that possibility.
- You (plural) are shutting all the open applications.
- They are shutting the business for good.
SHUT - PRESENT PERFECT
★ I haveshut
★ you haveshut
★ he/she/it hasshut
★ we haveshut
★ you haveshut
★ they haveshut
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Present Perfect
- I have shut the main water valve.
- You have shut the garage door.
- He has shut himself in his room. | She has shut the cat in the kitchen.
- We have shut the case due to a lack of evidence.
- You (plural) have shut all the doors and windows.
- They have shut down the website.
SHUT - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I have beenshutting
★ you have beenshutting
★ he/she/it has beenshutting
★ we have beenshutting
★ you have beenshutting
★ they have beenshutting
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Present Perfect Continuous
- I have been shutting the windows in this house all morning.
- You have been shutting down the computers one by one.
- He has been shutting himself away from his friends. | The business has been shutting its stores across the country.
- We have been shutting down the servers for the update.
- You (plural) have been shutting the gates every night.
- They have been shutting their minds to new ideas.
SHUT - PAST SIMPLE
★ Ishut
★ youshut
★ he/she/itshut
★ weshut
★ you (plural)shut
★ theyshut
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Past Simple
- I shut the book after reading the last page.
- You shut the door in my face.
- He shut the lid of the piano. | She shut her eyes and made a wish.
- We shut the factory down last year.
- You (plural) shut the windows before the rain started.
- They shut the road because of the accident.
SHUT - PAST CONTINUOUS
★ I wasshutting
★ you wereshutting
★ he/she/it wasshutting
★ we wereshutting
★ you wereshutting
★ they wereshutting
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Past Continuous
- I was shutting the window when I saw them walking down the street.
- You were shutting the shop for the night.
- He was shutting his laptop when his boss called him. | The library was shutting, so we had to leave.
- We were shutting down the production line.
- You (plural) were shutting the gates.
- They were shutting all the doors.
SHUT - PAST PERFECT
★ I hadshut
★ you hadshut
★ he/she/it hadshut
★ we hadshut
★ you hadshut
★ they hadshut
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Past Perfect
- I had shut the window before I realized how hot it was.
- You had shut the door, so I couldn't hear you.
- He had shut his computer down before the power outage. | She had shut the curtains.
- We had shut down the operation before the police arrived.
- You (plural) had shut all the valves.
- They had shut the bridge to traffic.
SHUT - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I had beenshutting
★ you had beenshutting
★ he/she/it had beenshutting
★ we had beenshutting
★ you had beenshutting
★ they had beenshutting
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Past Perfect Continuous
- I had been shutting the windows every night that week.
- You had been shutting down the equipment.
- He had been shutting himself off from the world for months. | The company had been shutting down its branches.
- We had been shutting the park at 9 PM.
- You (plural) had been shutting the doors.
- They had been shutting the system down.
SHUT - FUTURE SIMPLE
★ I willshut
★ you willshut
★ he/she/it willshut
★ we willshut
★ you willshut
★ they willshut
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Future Simple
- I will shut the door on my way out.
- You will shut the computer down when you are finished.
- He will shut the shop at closing time. | The government will shut the loophole in the law.
- We will shut the water off before we begin the repairs.
- You (plural) will shut the windows.
- They will shut down the server for a few hours.
SHUT - FUTURE CONTINUOUS
★ I will beshutting
★ you will beshutting
★ he/she/it will beshutting
★ we will beshutting
★ you will beshutting
★ they will beshutting
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Future Continuous
- I will be shutting the library at 8 PM tonight.
- You will be shutting down the network for maintenance.
- He will be shutting the windows before the storm hits. | The company will be shutting its factories.
- We will be shutting the road for the parade.
- You (plural) will be shutting the gates.
- They will be shutting the systems down.
SHUT - FUTURE PERFECT
★ I will haveshut
★ you will haveshut
★ he/she/it will haveshut
★ we will haveshut
★ you will haveshut
★ they will haveshut
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Future Perfect
- I will have shut all the windows by the time the rain starts.
- You will have shut down the computer by then.
- He will have shut the business down by the end of the year. | She will have shut the door.
- We will have shut off the power.
- You (plural) will have shut the facility.
- They will have shut the website down for good.
SHUT - FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I will have beenshutting
★ you will have beenshutting
★ he/she/it will have beenshutting
★ we will have beenshutting
★ you will have beenshutting
★ they will have beenshutting
Examples of the verb 'shut' in the Future Perfect Continuous
- By 9 PM, I will have been shutting this shop every night for five years.
- You will have been shutting down the system.
- He will have been shutting himself away for weeks. | The company will have been shutting its stores.
- We will have been shutting the gates.
- You (plural) will have been shutting the windows.
- They will have been shutting down the operations.

Conjugation of the verb To Shut