1
as in to ridicule
to make (someone or something) the object of unkind laughter
nowadays the aging activist is routinely shot down in most quarters of the media and dismissed as an irrelevant crank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dismiss
to reject by or as if by a vote
every one of my fund-raising ideas was shot down by the other club members
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to refute
to prove to be false
the results of several studies shoot down the hypothesis that coffee causes heart attacks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shoot down
Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down eight Ukrainian drones overnight.
—
David Brennan, ABC News, 20 May 2025
In fact, the captain of the ship that shot down the plane received the Legion of Merit in 1990.
—Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Then as needed cut the shoots down among the foliage so the stubs won’t be noticed.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2025
The segment saw stars from each of those series — Kaitlin Olson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Sterling K. Brown — join the brothers on stage to shoot down their ideas for joining the shows.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
David Brennan, ABC News, 20 May 2025
In fact, the captain of the ship that shot down the plane received the Legion of Merit in 1990.
—Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Then as needed cut the shoots down among the foliage so the stubs won’t be noticed.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2025
The segment saw stars from each of those series — Kaitlin Olson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Sterling K. Brown — join the brothers on stage to shoot down their ideas for joining the shows.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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Gilgeous-Alexander even got ridiculed during his team's Game 3 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 May 2025
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The Bills don’t want their players, coaches or staffers ridiculed similarly.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Verb
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The charges were dismissed because West’s cause of death was not determined, and some evidence had been illegally obtained. (Netflix) Lewis was convicted of six counts of mail fraud in a 1981 credit card scheme in Kansas City.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2025
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Baldwin was also charged in connection to Hutchins’ death, but that involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed by the judge due to the prosecution withholding evidence.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2025
Verb
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But defense attorney Getting never called his own fire expert to refute any of that.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
20 May 2025
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But rather than refute Mische’s analysis, the administration has been planting suggestions that Mische is employed by Saudi Arabia, even though his advice to that nation ended years ago.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Read: The attack on trans rights won’t end there The impossible becoming possible is a hard thing to process—and easier to reject or mock than to understand.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
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Film director Wes Anderson mocked President Donald Trump over his plan to slap tariffs on foreign films made outside of the United States.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Verb
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The forecast comes after several devastating hurricanes battered the U.S. last year, including Helene, which killed 241 people across five states in September.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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It has been killed by the near impossibility of buying a home in the current market and the economic challenges that force them to scramble to keep up with the cost of living and delay their plans to form their own families.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Verb
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Despite its passage, the bill looks unlikely to become law because Lombardo vetoed a similar bill in 2023.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
24 May 2025
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Jackson disregarded sound economic reasoning, common sense, and the entreaties of Bank supporters and vetoed the recharter bill.—
Time,
Time,
23 May 2025
Verb
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However, the end of the conversation was probably the headline – that Amodei refused to rule out AI becoming self-aware in key ways.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Wyatt, the senior ace on his way to Michigan, and Walker, the gritty junior second baseman who refused to give up on his dream of starting, paused when trying to wrap their heads around the scene unfolding around them.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Confusion reigned, and so on Friday, the stock went from positive to negative to deeply negative in a matter of hours.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
2 Feb. 2025
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Travelers also need to negative COVID-19 test within one day of flying to return to the United States.—
Dallas News,
Dallas News,
7 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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