shut out

shut someone or something out

to exclude someone or something; to refuse entrance to someone or something. We tried to get into the stadium, but they shut us out because there was no more room. My parents shut out their children when they made important decisions.

See also: out, shut

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shut somebody out also shut out somebody

1. to prevent someone from being a part of something She shut him out of her world and had nothing to do with him. A group of African-American lawyers charged that the law firm shut them out. Movies like his are so unusual that they're basically shut out of consideration for an Oscar.

2. to prevent a competitor from scoring any points The Braves shut out the Dodgers today, 7–0.

See also: out, shut

shut out something also shut something out

1. to prevent something from entering a place The thick glass windows shut out most of the traffic noise. My eyes can't stand bright light, so I keep the curtains closed to shut the sunlight out.

2. to not think about something She can't shut out the memory of the accident.

See also: out, shut