shut down — dismiss an argument
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
To reject, silence, or abruptly end someone’s point or contribution in a discussion, often without giving it fair consideration.
Say it like a native
Textbook He firmly rejected my suggestion without any consideration.
Native He just shut me down.
'Shut someone down' is the punchy spoken way to say they cut off your point dismissively; the formal version is flat.
Pattern: shut down + noun (person/argument/idea)
In use
- Whenever someone challenges his ideas, he tends to shut them down before they can finish explaining.debate
- In group discussions, it is important not to shut down alternative viewpoints, as this can hinder creative problem-solving.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He shut down me in the meeting.
✓ He shut me down in the meeting.
With a person or pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'shut me down'.
Common collocations
shut down + person/idea— me, the idea, the suggestion, any debate
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense (to close a business or system) and the B2 sense (to stop showing emotions), this sense is figurative and refers specifically to dismissing or rejecting someone’s input in a conversation or debate.
Related
- shut down (close a business or system) — 'shut down' also has the more basic meaning 'close a business or system'; this is the advanced sense.