shunt
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To cause to move, as by pushing or shoving.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shuhntIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃʌnt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To cause to move (suddenly), as by pushing or shoving; to give a (sudden) start to.
transitive
To divert to a less important place, position, or state.
transitiveelectricity
To divert electric current by providing an alternative path.
Transfer to another track, of trains
Provide with or divert by means of an electrical shunt
noun
An act of moving (suddenly), as due to a push or shove.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To divert to a less important place, position, or state.
Used this way, shunt is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It suits considered writing and prepared speech.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use shunt
- “An arteriovenus shunt.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A closed circuit in which the current divides into two or more paths before recombining to complete the circuit.
A conductor having low resistance in parallel with another device to divert a fraction of the current.
Shunt that is created surgically between the portal vein and the inferior vena cava so that blood from the abdominal organs can bypass the liver.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.