shutter

[ shuht-er ]

noun

1. a solid or louvered movable cover for a window.
2. a movable cover, slide, etc., for an opening.
3. a person or thing that shuts.
4. Photography. a mechanical device for opening and closing the aperture of a camera lens to expose film or the like.

verb (used with object)

1. to close or provide with shutters:

   She shuttered the windows.

2. to close (a store or business operations) for the day or permanently.

verb (used without object)

1. to close or close down:

   The factory has shuttered temporarily.

shutter

/ ˈʃʌtə /

noun

1. a hinged doorlike cover, often louvred and usually one of a pair, for closing off a window
2. put up the shutters
   to close business at the end of the day or permanently
3. 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 )
4. 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
5. music one of the louvred covers over the mouths of organ pipes, operated by the swell pedal
6. a person or thing that shuts

verb

1. to close with or as if with a shutter or shutters
2. to equip with a shutter or shutters

Other Words From

• shutter·less adjective
• un·shuttered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shutter¹

First recorded in 1535–45; shut + -er ¹

Synonym Study

See curtain.

Example Sentences

He channels his inner Darth Vader but instead of "the force" he uses a long exposure photography technique, keeping the shutter open for anything from 30 seconds to 20 minutes.

From BBC

In October, though, Phillips 66 announced it will shutter the complex toward the end of next year.

From Los Angeles Times

The decision by Phillips 66 this week to shutter its refinery in Wilmington next year will wipe out more than 8% of the state’s crude oil processing capacity.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a message so threatening that it could be exorcized only by three days of Senate hearings and the establishment of a Comics Code Authority that gutted the comics industry and forced E.C.’s horror line to shutter.

From Slate

On Friday, 64 years later, Alan pulled down the shutter for the final time on local retail institution AE Hartley & Son.

From BBC

Related Words

• curtain