shunt

1 of 2

verb

shunted; shunting; shunts

transitive verb

1
a
: to turn off to one side : shift
was shunted aside
b
: to switch (a railroad car, a train, etc.) from one track to another
2
: to provide with or divert by means of an electrical shunt
3
: to divert (blood or other bodily fluid) from one part to another by a surgical shunt
4
: shuttle
shunted the missiles from shelter to shelter

intransitive verb

1
: to move to the side
2
: to travel back and forth
shunted between the two towns
shunter noun

shunt

2 of 2

noun

1
: a means or mechanism for turning or thrusting aside: such as
a
chiefly British : a railroad switch
b
: a conductor joining two points in an electrical circuit so as to form a parallel or alternative path through which a portion of the current may pass (as for regulating the amount passing in the main circuit)
c
: a surgical passage created to divert a bodily fluid (such as blood) from one vessel or part to another
also : a device (such as a narrow tube) used to establish a similar passage
2
chiefly British : an accident (such as a collision between two cars) especially in auto racing

Examples of shunt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The release date had to be shunted from summer 1995 to a much more competitive slot in December. Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024 Even when the judiciary and Congress exercise their checks-and-balances powers over the executive branch, the American secrecy machine still finds a way to shunt aside substantive discussions about a host of programs and policies. Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2014
Noun
Surgically inserting a shunt (a small tube) into the inner ear can drain fluid to improve hearing and tinnitus symptoms. Carley Millhone, Health, 20 Oct. 2024 Glaucoma implant: Surgeons implant tiny shunts, fluid drainage devices, in a part of trabecular meshwork called the canal of Schlemm. Mark Gurarie, Health, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shunt 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, to move suddenly, turn away, evade, perhaps from past participle of shonen

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shunt was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near shunt

Cite this Entry

“Shunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shunt. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

shunt

1 of 2 verb
1
: to turn off to one side or out of the way : shift
2
: to switch (as a train) from one track to another
shunter noun

shunt

2 of 2 noun
: a method or device for turning or pushing aside
especially : a conductor joining two points in an electrical circuit so as to form a path through which a portion of the current may pass

Medical Definition

shunt

1 of 2 transitive verb
: to divert by or as if by a shunt
especially : to divert (blood or other bodily fluid) from one part to another by a surgical shunt

shunt

2 of 2 noun
1
: a passage by which a bodily fluid (as blood) is diverted from one channel, circulatory path, or part to another
especially : such a passage established by surgery or occurring as an abnormality
an arteriovenous shunt
2
a
: a surgical procedure for the establishment of an artificial shunt see portacaval shunt
b
: a device (as a narrow tube) used to establish an artificial shunt
plastic shunts have been used to bypass temporarily sections of major arteriesJohnson McGuire & Arnold Iglauer

More from Merriam-Webster on shunt

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