shut out phrasal verb ( see also ↑ shut )
1 . shut somebody out to deliberately not let someone join you in an activity or share your thoughts and feelings:
How can I help you if you just keep shutting me out all the time?
shut somebody out from
I felt I was being shut out from all the family’s affairs.
2 . shut somebody/something ↔ out to prevent someone or something from entering a place:
heavy curtains that shut out the sunlight
shut somebody/something ↔ out from
The door closed firmly, shutting me out from the warmth inside.
3 . shut something ↔ out to stop yourself from thinking about or noticing something, so that you are not affected by it:
People close their windows at night in a vain attempt to shut out the sound of gunfire.
She shut out memories of James.
Jenny closed her eyes and tried to shut everything out.
4 . shut out somebody American English to defeat an opposing sports team and prevent them from getting any points:
Colorado shut out Kansas City 3–0.