How to Use The Past Tense of Shut? Shut or Shutted?

What's the past tense of "shut"?

The simple past tense of shut is shut, and the past participle is also shut. The form "shutted" is incorrect. This irregular verb maintains the same form across all tenses.

Definition of shut

The verb shut, as described by Oxford Dictionary: "To move something into position so that it blocks an opening: she shut the door behind her." Also, "To close and lock a door, window, etc.: shut the windows before you leave."

• The past tense of shut is shut.
• The past participle of shut is shut.

Verb forms of 'shut'

Is "shut" a regular or irregular verb?

Shut is an irregular verb. Unlike regular verbs that add "-ed" to form the past tense, shut maintains the same form for present, past, and past participle. This makes it part of a small group of irregular verbs that never change form, such as cut, put, and hit.

When to use shut

She shut the door behind her.

The door has shut automatically.

The verb shut uses the same form for both simple past tense and present or past perfect), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so shut can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Similar irregular verbs

Like shut, these verbs maintain the same form across present, past, and past participle tenses:

Sentence examples: shut, shut, shut

Synonyms & nearby words

FAQs

Sources

1. "Shut, V." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, March 2025.