shutdown
Pluralshutdowns
- 1The act of stopping the operations of a computer, business, or event.
The government shutdown halted public services across the country for weeks.
Engineers scheduled a complete shutdown of the reactor for maintenance.
Similarclosure, stoppage, halt
Note
A noun made from the phrasal verb shut down. It keeps the verb's meaning but closes up the space: the noun is written solid and the verb open (they shut down the plant; the shutdown lasted weeks). It pairs naturally with startup and works well before another noun, as in a shutdown button. David Turner, writing in RAIL in 2023, uses it for the railways' near-total Christmas closure of 1963.
- 2
- 3A defensive tactic that prevents the opposing players from mounting an attack.
Their second-half shutdown denied the opponents a single clear chance.
The coach praised the defensive shutdown that protected the narrow lead.
Similarlockdown
Note
Sports borrow the closing-down image for defense. A shutdown neutralizes the opposing attack by taking away space, closing passing lanes or smothering key playmakers. Unlike the "closing" sense, nothing actually stops here: the opponents keep playing, but they cannot create chances. It is countable when it names a particular spell of defending, as in a second-half shutdown.
- 4An autistic response to stress or sensory overload in which a person freezes up and becomes silent, still, and unresponsive.
The crowded mall triggered a shutdown, and she sat motionless until it passed.
During a shutdown, he becomes unable to respond even to simple questions.
Note
In writing on autism, it names the inward counterpart of a meltdown. A meltdown spills outward as agitation, while a shutdown withdraws, leaving the person still, silent and unable to communicate. Carly Jones (2021) sets the two side by side as outcomes of distress. It often appears as autistic shutdown, with verbs like have or reach. Siena Castellon writes of reaching the point of having one.
- 5A big success, or an exciting and heavily hyped atmosphere.
The album launch turned into a complete shutdown, with fans queuing round the block.
Everyone said the night was a shutdown, easily the best gig of the summer.
Similarsmash, hit, triumph, sensation, blast
Note
British slang turns the word on its head. Far from the "closing" sense, it praises an event so successful that it takes over the room. It often stands alone after is, with no article, as in Skepta's 2015 track "Shutdown", where fashion week is hailed in exactly that pattern. It belongs to casual speech and music, so keep it out of formal writing, where readers will hear only the closure meaning.
Practice
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Origin
This word is formed from the verb phrase "shut down."