shut out
Idioms-
Exclude, deny entry to, block, as in Anyone convicted of a crime is shut out from the legal profession , or These curtains shut out all the light . [Late 1300s]
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Prevent an opponent from scoring, as in They were shut out of the last two games , or Reagan shut out Ford in the Texas primary in 1976. Originating in baseball about 1880, this usage was later transferred to other sports and then even broader usage.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He wished “to be shut out from the big world, gazing at your dark eyes …” Writing a letter in the midnight moonlight, she sent him “ten thousand kisses.”
From Literature
But when rates soared to over 7% in late 2023 and home prices continued to tick upward, many would-be buyers were shut out of the market.
From MarketWatch
No one noticed me as the workers piled straw higher and higher until it covered the windows and all the light was shut out.
From Literature
England captain Harry Brook said Saturday that it would be "a shame" if Pakistani players were shut out of England's domestic white-ball Hundred competition by Indian-owned franchises.
From Barron's
This time she came within two minutes of shutting out a team that had scored 31 times in its previous six games.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
