shut away
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To keep a person or thing somewhere closed off so they can't get out or others can't see them.
Literal meaning: To shut (close) and move away or keep away — fairly transparent.
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
To keep a person isolated in a private space, away from the outside world.
"She shut herself away for three weeks to finish writing her novel."
Grammar: separable
2 B2 neutral
To store or conceal an object in a secure, enclosed space.
"The jewels were shut away in the family vault and never displayed."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Can be used for people (children shut away from the world, prisoners, the mentally ill in older usage) or objects (valuables shut away in a safe). Also used reflexively: 'She shut herself away to write.' Carries a sense of deliberate seclusion.
Commonly used with
valuables documents prisoner room safe herself/himself
Forms
Base
shut away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
shuts away
he/she/it
Past simple
shut away
yesterday
Past participle
shut away
have + pp
-ing form
shutting away
continuous
Understand "shut away" better
Try:
Real video examples
Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.
Want to master this phrasal verb?
Practice "shut away" on Looplines