# shut one's trap

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/shut-ones-trap
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To stop talking; to be quiet.

## Examples

- Please shut your trap while I am working.
- He kept complaining about the rules until his boss told him to shut his trap.
- Despite the mounting tension in the room, he refused to shut his trap, continuing to provoke his rivals with every word he uttered.

## Origin

The expression derives from the mid-18th-century slang use of trap as a noun for the human mouth. The metaphor likens the closing of the mouth to the snapping shut of a mechanical device.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.