shutters
shutters — noun
- shutterssingular
- shuttersesplural
1. the small mechanical part inside a photographic camera that briefly opens and sh
the small mechanical part inside a photographic camera that briefly opens and shuts, letting in just enough light for the image sensor to capture a clear picture
David pressed the button halfway to make his camera's shutter open automatically for focusing.
collocation: press the button halfway / shutter open
A fast shutter speed helps you take clear pictures of moving cars and birds.
collocation: shutter speed — how fast the shutter opens and closes
Yuki cleaned the shutter of her old camera with a soft brush to remove dust.
Takeshi set the shutter speed to 1/500 of a second before photographing the speeding race car.
The camera's shutter made a soft clicking sound each time Emma took a picture of the flowers.
- lens cap
a separate cover that protects the front of the lens, not the internal mechanism
用法筆記
Often used in the compound "shutter speed" — the length of time the shutter stays open. A fast shutter speed (e.g. 1/1000 second) freezes motion; a slow one (e.g. 1 second) blurs it.
常見錯誤
2. one of a pair of hinged panels, usually made of wood or plastic, fitted onto the
one of a pair of hinged panels, usually made of wood or plastic, fitted onto the outer side of a window frame to block sunlight, cold air, or rain
The strong wind made the wooden shutters on Lucía's old house rattle loudly all night.
collocation: wooden shutters
Sana opened the green shutters wide to let fresh air and morning sunlight into the kitchen.
Mathieu painted the shutters of every window before the winter storms arrived.
Kofi fitted new white shutters to all the ground-floor windows of his house last summer.
Mira painted blue flowers on the wooden shutters outside her bedroom window.
- blind
a window covering made of cloth or slats, usually fitted inside the room rather than outside
- jalousie/venetian blind
a type of window covering with horizontal slats that tilt to control light
用法筆記
Usually referred to in the plural (shutters) because most windows have two hinged panels. The singular "shutter" is used for one panel of the pair.
常見錯誤
3. a strong metal cover that can be pulled down across a shop's entrance and window
a strong metal cover that can be pulled down across a shop's entrance and windows after closing time to stop thieves from breaking in and to prevent damage
Every evening at nine o'clock the shopkeeper lowered the metal shutters across the front of the store.
collocation: lower the metal shutters / pull down the shutters
Thieves damaged the steel shutters of the jewellery store during the night and stole several watches.
collocation: steel shutters
Yasmin noticed bright graffiti covering the metal shutters of the closed café on her way to work.
Felipe works at a hardware store and locks the steel shutters every night before leaving.
The metal shutters on Imran's bookshop were covered with colourful posters advertising new novels.
- security grille / security gate
a similar protective barrier made of bars or mesh, often see-through unlike a solid shutter
shutters — verb
- shutterspresent simple I / you / we / they
- shutterses3rd person singular
- shuttersing-ing form
- shuttersedpast simple
1. to close the pair of panels on the outside of a window, usually to block out sun
to close the pair of panels on the outside of a window, usually to block out sunlight, heat, or bad weather
Lucía shuttered all the downstairs windows before the typhoon reached the coast.
verb in context of storm preparation
David shuttered his workshop windows every evening at sunset before going home.
During the summer heatwave the family shuttered the bedroom windows to keep the rooms cool.
Anjali shuttered the windows of her beach house every autumn before returning to the city.
The ground-floor flats on Roya's street all shutter their windows at night for safety.
- close the shutters
more literal and longer phrasing than the single verb "shutter"
- board up
to cover windows with wooden boards — a more temporary and rough method than closing fitted shutters
- open the shutters
the opposite action
文法句型
shutter + noun phrase (the window / the shop)
用法筆記
Frequently used with a location as the object (shuttered the windows, shuttered the house). Not usually used for closing curtains or blinds — those are "drawn" or "closed", not shuttered.
常見錯誤
2. to shut a retail business, restaurant, or other operation, either at the end of
to shut a retail business, restaurant, or other operation, either at the end of each trading day or completely and permanently, so that it stops serving customers
Ife's Italian restaurant shuttered its doors after twenty years of serving the neighbourhood.
collocation: shutter its doors — a fixed expression for closing permanently
Several small shops in the area have shuttered since the large supermarket opened nearby.
intransitive use: have shuttered (no object) meaning 'have closed down'
The bakery on the corner shuttered temporarily while the kitchen was being repaired.
The old cinema on Main Street shuttered its doors last month after the owners retired.
Ignacio's family business was shuttered during the economic downturn and never reopened.
- close down
more general; can apply to any type of business or organisation
- go out of business
specifically permanent closure due to financial failure
文法句型
shutter + noun phrase (a business / a shop / its doors)
shutter (without object)
用法筆記
Common in news and business writing. "Shutter" in this sense implies physically closing the metal shutters of a shop; by extension it means 'to stop operations'. Often used in the passive: "The factory was shuttered in 2023."