締め出す

• Reading: しめだす
• Romaji: shimedasu
• Kanji breakdown: 締 (shime) — to close, tighten; 出 (da) — out, exit
• Pronunciation: /ɕi.me.da.sɯ/

Meaning

To shut out; to lock out; to exclude. To bar someone from entering or participating by closing off access.

A Group 1 (godan) compound verb combining 締める (to close, lock) and 出す (to put out). 締め出す implies actively preventing access — physical lock-outs (鍵を忘れて締め出された) and figurative exclusion (市場から締め出す — shut out of the market). The passive form 締め出される is especially common, carrying a strong nuance of being marginalised or denied entry by others.

Examples

1. 会議室に入り損ねたまま扉が閉められ、完全に締め出されてしまった。 Left behind as the door closed on the meeting room, she found herself completely locked out.
2. 貿易交渉の失敗によって、その企業は欧州市場から事実上締め出された。 Due to the failure of trade negotiations, the company was effectively shut out of the European market.
3. 子どもが鍵を忘れて帰宅し、家の外に締め出されて困り果てていた。 The child forgot their key and came home to find themselves locked out, completely at a loss.

Usage Guide

Context: access control, trade policy, daily life, exclusion

Tone: neutral to negative

Origin & History

Compound of 締める (shime-ru — to lock, close tight) and 出す (da-su — to push out). Both verbs are native Japanese. The combination arose to describe locking a door with someone on the outside, later extended metaphorically to social and economic exclusion.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal