diff --git a/src/pool.ml b/src/pool.ml
index 87257f7d..4f4abac3 100644
--- a/src/pool.ml
+++ b/src/pool.ml
@@ -178,9 +178,12 @@ let create ?(on_init_thread = default_thread_init_exit_)
   done;
   pool
 
-let shutdown (self : t) : unit =
+let shutdown_ ~wait (self : t) : unit =
   let was_active = A.exchange self.active false in
   (* close the job queues, which will fail future calls to [run],
      and wake up the subset of [self.threads] that are waiting on them. *)
   if was_active then Array.iter Bb_queue.close self.qs;
-  Array.iter Thread.join self.threads
+  if wait then Array.iter Thread.join self.threads
+
+let shutdown_without_waiting (self : t) : unit = shutdown_ self ~wait:false
+let shutdown (self : t) : unit = shutdown_ self ~wait:true
diff --git a/src/pool.mli b/src/pool.mli
index 3fc6c983..b11cf496 100644
--- a/src/pool.mli
+++ b/src/pool.mli
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ val num_tasks : t -> int
 val shutdown : t -> unit
 (** Shutdown the pool and wait for it to terminate. Idempotent. *)
 
+val shutdown_without_waiting : t -> unit
+(** Shutdown the pool, and do not wait for it to terminate. Idempotent.
+    @since 0.2 *)
+
 exception Shutdown
 
 val run : t -> (unit -> unit) -> unit