shoot down

1 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 deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, laugh (at), mock, scout, ridicule, skewerRelated Words scoff (at), scorn, sneer (at); bad-mouth, belittle, decry, disparage, pooh-pooh (also pooh), put down; chaff, jive, josh, kid, quiz, rally, razz, rib, ride, tease, tweak, twit; bait, barrack [chiefly British], bug, catcall, harass, harry, hassle, heckle, needle, pester, rag, target, taunt, torment; ape, burlesque, caricature, imitate, lampoon, mimic, parody, parrot, pillory, satirize, take off (on), travestyNear Antonyms applaud, approve, commend, endorse (also indorse), sanction

2 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 blackball, down, kill, nix, negative, vetoRelated Words decline, disallow, disapprove, dismiss, refuse; blacklistNear Antonyms admit, allow, approve, assent (to), pass, sanction; elect, supportAntonyms confirm, ratify

3 to prove to be false <the results of several studies shoot down the hypothesis that coffee causes heart attacks> Synonyms belie, confound, confute, debunk, disconfirm, discredit, falsify, rebut, refute, disproveRelated Words overthrow, overturn; challenge, contest, query, question; doubt, mistrust; debate, discuss, hash (over), moot, talk overNear Antonyms document, evidence, evince, record, show, support, witness; back (up), buttress, corroborate, substantiate; adduce, attest, authenticate, certify, identify; demonstrate, display, illustrate, manifestAntonyms confirm, establish, prove, validate, verify