shunted; shunting; shunts
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
1
: to move to the side
2
: to travel back and forth
shunted between the two towns
shunter
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
Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Instead, using money set aside for tribes, the government shunted Native children into schools where they were beaten, abused and forced to assimilate.
—Jack Healy, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2025
Treating this condition involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of your skull.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shunt
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Verb
The Stanley Cup playoffs were temporarily shunted to the back burner Sunday by the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Stockholm.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Instead, using money set aside for tribes, the government shunted Native children into schools where they were beaten, abused and forced to assimilate.
—Jack Healy, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noun
Treating this condition involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of the skull, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2025
Treating this condition involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid from the inside of your skull.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shunt
Cite this Entry
“Shunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shunt. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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 noun1
: 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 arteries—Johnson McGuire & Arnold Iglauer
Johnson McGuire & Arnold IglauerLove words? Need even more definitions?
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