What does shutters mean?
“Shutters” most often refers to movable covers installed outside windows. Traditional wooden or metal shutters may have adjustable horizontal slats, while roller shutters slide into a housing above or below the opening. By controlling how much light and air enters, they can improve privacy, reduce heat, and protect windows from weather. The word can also denote the metal covers used to secure a shopfront after business hours. In the expression “the store shutters,” it means that the business closes, either for the night or, in some cases, permanently. Although the plural is conventional when discussing window coverings, the singular “shutter” is normal for one individual covering. Shutters are familiar in many regions and architectural styles, from colonial houses and Mediterranean streets to modern commercial premises. Their practical function also gives the word a vivid figurative use: something can be shut off from view, activity, or continuation.
Movable covers fitted to a window or doorway, often made with adjustable horizontal slats and used to control light, airflow, privacy, and protection.
"Closed shutters cast striped shadows across the floor."
The plural is conventional when referring collectively to window covers; use the singular “shutter” for an individual covering.
To close window or storefront shutters; figuratively, to cease business activity temporarily or permanently.
"The market shutters every Sunday evening."
The figurative sense is especially associated with shops and other businesses.
As a noun, “shutters” is the standard plural of “shutter” and is the usual form when referring to the movable covers of one or more windows.
"The shutters on the upstairs windows had been closed for years."
A shutter can shut out the sun—and, figuratively, bring an active business to a close.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of shutters
The noun developed from the older form “shutter,” formed from “shut” with the suffix “-er,” originally suggesting something that closes or is used to close. The underlying verb “shut” descends from Old English “scūtan,” meaning “to close.” “Shutdown” is a later compound based on the same verbal root, while the figurative expression for a business shutting developed more recently from the ordinary sense of closing protective coverings.
Related word forms
How shutters is actually used
The plural form is standard and usual when referring to window coverings, although the singular shutter is also common for an individual cover. The verb form is less frequent than the noun use; in figurative business contexts, it is often used with a business, shop, or store as its subject.
Easily confused with shutters
Shutters are movable window or doorway covers, whereas shuttles are devices used in weaving or vehicles that travel back and forth between places.