diff --git a/tests/context.cpp b/tests/context.cpp
index c8e8267..2227635 100644
--- a/tests/context.cpp
+++ b/tests/context.cpp
@@ -18,6 +18,25 @@ TEST_CASE("context create, close and destroy", "[context]")
     CHECK(NULL == (void *) context);
 }
 
+TEST_CASE("context shutdown", "[context]")
+{
+    zmq::context_t context;
+    context.shutdown();
+    CHECK(NULL != (void *) context);
+    context.close();
+    CHECK(NULL == (void *) context);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("context shutdown again", "[context]")
+{
+    zmq::context_t context;
+    context.shutdown();
+    context.shutdown();
+    CHECK(NULL != (void *) context);
+    context.close();
+    CHECK(NULL == (void *) context);
+}
+
 #ifdef ZMQ_CPP11
 TEST_CASE("context swap", "[context]")
 {
@@ -26,4 +45,22 @@ TEST_CASE("context swap", "[context]")
     using std::swap;
     swap(context1, context2);
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("context - use socket after shutdown", "[context]")
+{
+    zmq::context_t context;
+    zmq::socket_t sock(context, zmq::socket_type::rep);
+    context.shutdown();
+    try
+    {
+        sock.connect("inproc://test");
+        zmq::message_t msg;
+        sock.recv(msg, zmq::recv_flags::dontwait);
+        REQUIRE(false);
+    }
+    catch (const zmq::error_t& e)
+    {
+        REQUIRE(e.num() == ETERM);
+    }
+}
 #endif
diff --git a/zmq.hpp b/zmq.hpp
index 87d7b31..0aafe8b 100644
--- a/zmq.hpp
+++ b/zmq.hpp
@@ -677,6 +677,7 @@ class context_t
 
     ~context_t() ZMQ_NOTHROW { close(); }
 
+    // Terminates context (see also shutdown()).
     void close() ZMQ_NOTHROW
     {
         if (ptr == ZMQ_NULLPTR)
@@ -691,6 +692,17 @@ class context_t
         ptr = ZMQ_NULLPTR;
     }
 
+    // Shutdown context in preparation for termination (close()).
+    // Causes all blocking socket operations and any further
+    // socket operations to return with ETERM.
+    void shutdown() ZMQ_NOTHROW
+    {
+        if (ptr == ZMQ_NULLPTR)
+            return;
+        int rc = zmq_ctx_shutdown(ptr);
+        ZMQ_ASSERT(rc == 0);
+    }
+
     //  Be careful with this, it's probably only useful for
     //  using the C api together with an existing C++ api.
     //  Normally you should never need to use this.