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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoot down
Many targets were shot down — but unfortunately, not all.
—
Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2025
The Aurora City Council on Monday shot down an opportunity to ask voters this fall to substantially raise their pay starting in 2026.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 15 July 2025
About a week before, a pair of Magura V7 pilotless attack boats had ventured into the Black Sea and shot down two Russian Su-30 fighter jets.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
While the Ukrainian Air Force managed to shoot down or disable the vast majority of the drones and missiles, two people were killed and dozens more injured in the attack on Thursday.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2025
The Aurora City Council on Monday shot down an opportunity to ask voters this fall to substantially raise their pay starting in 2026.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 15 July 2025
About a week before, a pair of Magura V7 pilotless attack boats had ventured into the Black Sea and shot down two Russian Su-30 fighter jets.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
While the Ukrainian Air Force managed to shoot down or disable the vast majority of the drones and missiles, two people were killed and dozens more injured in the attack on Thursday.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
-
From the earliest days of Greek drama Herakles is ridiculed for his brutish way of eating his food, his preference for a good meal versus a good woman and, in Aristophanes’s The Bird, even his reluctance to leave a barbecue in order to help save his own father.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
That audio clip has been shared some 60,000 times on TikTok, often by Venezuelans ridiculing the notion that everybody from their country is a gangster.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
The felony charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they can't be refiled.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Courier-Journal,
25 July 2025
-
Doctors dismissed the spider bite and didn’t give her a clear explanation.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
Bondi also said that although the names of several other high-profile figures were mentioned, the investigators did not find a client list or evidence refuting that Epstein died by suicide.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
24 July 2025
-
But Hunter was quick to refute this claim, arguing that at large events where the president is meeting several people, introductions are the norm.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
-
He was previously mocked on social media during a loss to Austin Peay in November, when the Fox College Hoops broadcast showed Clark sitting in the stands.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 July 2025
-
But their identities — and the speculative affair — became fodder for millions online, from memes mocking the encounter to serious debate over HR violations.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Verb
-
The man accused of pulling the trigger in a Christmas Day shooting that killed two Milwaukee teenagers is no longer on the run.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
Failure Summary: Kubernetes killed pods that were technically running but unable to connect to the database.—
Raju Dandigam,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International, a leading independent nonprofit group that monitors corruption around the world, previously urged Zelensky to veto the new law.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
23 July 2025
-
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted for the law on July 22, despite the heads of NABU and SAPO imploring Zelensky to veto it.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
Kirton on Friday acknowledged he’d been given the training directive in 2022, but said his attorney advised him against attending or signing the form because Bloomfield leaders refused to show them the investigative report.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
19 July 2025
-
Her heir-apparent will have diminished authority, impossible expectations, and the unenviable task of modernizing an institution whose departing leader refuses to depart.—
Lilian Raji,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share