phrasal verb

• 1Stop flowing or operating.

  ‘when the flame goes out, the gas shuts off automatically’

  More example sentences

  • ‘the engine shuts off when the vehicle is stopped’
  • ‘When he was 30 metres away from the scene, the hydrant burst and he rushed to find a stop valve to shut the water off, which he managed to do after about ten minutes.’
  • ‘Well, the good news is, for me, my hot water has not been shut off, I still have my parking privileges so I'm grateful.’
  • ‘Monday I came home to a letter in my mailbox, advising all residents of my building that unless the water bill is paid in person by November 20th, the water will be shut off.’
  • ‘That's when it was determined - or somehow the electricity was shut off to the concert stage, and police officials announced that the crowd was immediately ordered to disperse.’
  • ‘I heard they bombed the power plant to black out the city, and that the water was shut off.’
  • ‘A fire in a sprinkler-equipped house is less likely to spread and cause the house to be an entire loss, but keep in mind that once a sprinkler starts spraying, it keeps spraying until the water is shut off.’
  • ‘If a bathtub or shower is leaking, it is necessary to shut the water off at the main water shut-off and call your professional plumber.’
  • ‘About half an hour after the original blast, the power had been shut off, knocking out the supply to about 60 town centre premises, including banks and shops.’
  • ‘The first was that there was a fire on a train at Romford and the power had been shut off.’
  • ‘The room lights have been shut off so that the room is relatively dimly lit.’

  1. 1.1shut something off, shut off somethingCause something to stop flowing or operating.
     ‘he was about to shut off the power’
     More example sentences

     • ‘he shut off the engine’

• 2shut someone or something off, shut off someone or somethingSeparate someone or something from something else.

  ‘the family was shut off from the outside world’

  More example sentences

  • ‘the mountains shut off the region from the rest of the country’

  1. 2.1shut something off, shut off somethingBlock the entrances and exits of something.
     ‘the six compartments were being shut off from each other’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Both the rear door and two side entrances were shut off from the outside world by neck-high wooden swing-doors.’
     • ‘The exit and most of the room was shut off by a massive pile of metal and concrete.’
     • ‘Visitors have noted, with exasperation and frustration, that their gateways can be shut off by illegal street parking.’
     • ‘Firefighters had problems getting to the basement because of the way it had been shut off from the rest of the house.’
     • ‘The girl reaches up above her head, pulls down the metal blind that shuts the bar off from the rest of the room and locks it in place with the padlock.’
     • ‘The justly celebrated Rijksmuseum is still undergoing renovations, so most of it is shut off, with just a small collection of Dutch Old Masters available for viewing.’
     • ‘The new three-storey building is specially designed so parts of it can be shut off for community use in the evenings and weekends.’
     Synonyms

     close off, seal off, tape off, fence off, rope off, screen off, curtain off, cordon off, partition off, separate off, isolate, segregate, blockade, quarantine

• 3shut oneself offIsolate oneself from other people.

  ‘I couldn't shut myself off forever’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Imagine the feelings that course through you as you brew your tea and anticipate the pleasure of shutting yourself off from the world for an afternoon.’
  • ‘The director of the York branch of the Samaritans, said that farmers were suffering high stress levels because they were shutting themselves off from the world in a bid to stop the disease spreading.’
  • ‘Hibernation is nature's way of shutting ourselves off as does growth a time to rest and recharge our energy.’
  • ‘He literally just sat here rocking, shutting himself off from the world really.’
  • ‘I don't like it when people shut themselves off and keep others at arm's length.’
  • ‘In an age where it is too easy to shut ourselves off to the world, it is refreshing to see that the public won't allow the pre-emptive agenda of politicians get in the way of its priorities.’
  • ‘Australia's health minister said that the country of 20 million people would shut itself off from the rest of the world if a human flu pandemic breaks out.’
  • ‘He struggled with alcohol and shut himself off to people.’
  • ‘She will shut herself off from the world around her, and stand for long periods flapping her hands.’
  • ‘I'm not shutting myself off, I'm just taking a little time for myself.’