shutdown

Noun

shutdown (countable and uncountable, plural shutdowns)

1. The action of stopping operations; a closing, of a computer, business, event, etc.
   • You need to enter your password at startup, but it's not required at shutdown.
   • There is a plastic molly-guard covering the escalator's shutdown button to prevent little kids from pushing it and stopping the escalator.

   Synonyms:

   shuttering

2. A statement, insult, etc. that prevents the opponent from replying further.
   • When he insulted me, my reply was such a shutdown that he left the room.
3. (autism) An autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the individual freezes up and becomes silent, motionless, and unresponsive.
   • I retreated into myself and allowed myself to be swallowed into a typically autistic shutdown.2018, Laura James, Odd Girl Out: My Extraordinary Autistic Life, unnumbered page
   • I may even reach the point where I have an autistic shutdown, which means I'll be unable to communicate, interact or socialize.2020, Siena Castellon, The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide: How to Grow Up Awesome and Autistic, page 34
4. A defensive ploy that prevents the opposing players from attacking.
5. (UK, slang) A big success; a hyped atmosphere.
   • Fashion week and it's shutdown / Went to the show, sitting in the front row / In a black tracksuit and it's shutdown2015, “Shutdown”, performed by Skepta