Shut in Definition 1 of 4Pro Tip 1/3Emergency Situations Used during events that trap people indoors like storms or lockdowns. Residents were shut in during the hurricane. Pro Tip 2/3Not Imprisonment Being shut in does not always mean the person is locked up by someone else. Snow piled against the door, and we were shut in. Pro Tip 3/3Temporary Confinement The situation is mostly temporary until the outside conditions improve. After the blizzard passed, the shut-in townsfolk could leave their homes.