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
European diplomats told the Kremlin that NATO is prepared to shoot down Russian planes that enter its airspace, in a sharp escalation of Russia-EU tensions.
—
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025
As the finale begins, the Nova Corps shoots down their ship, but the heroes are saved via magical portals and transported to Kamar-Taj.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
In August 2024, Ukraine said its forces shot down a Su-34 fighter jet over Kursk Oblast during Kyiv's incursion into the Russian region.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Officials chose not to shoot down the drones because the risk was too great with the airport being full of passengers, planes on the runways and the nearby fuel depots, Jespersen added.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025
As the finale begins, the Nova Corps shoots down their ship, but the heroes are saved via magical portals and transported to Kamar-Taj.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
In August 2024, Ukraine said its forces shot down a Su-34 fighter jet over Kursk Oblast during Kyiv's incursion into the Russian region.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Officials chose not to shoot down the drones because the risk was too great with the airport being full of passengers, planes on the runways and the nearby fuel depots, Jespersen added.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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Gastineau says the video has led to him being ridiculed and scorned.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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Both ridicule traditional masculinity and mock attempts to move away from it.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Once the contestants are dismissed from the runway, the judges get more into it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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Defense attorneys for the man accused of killing his Miami Hurricanes football star teammate in 2006 want prosecutors sanctioned — or the murder case dismissed — after a key witness, who state prosecutors believed was dead, was found alive by an ESPN reporter.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These findings refuted longstanding preconceived beliefs about humans and animals.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
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The appellate court's decision refuted multiple issues with Avery's arguments.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The ability to criticize, question, protest, and even mock those in power is foundational to what America has always aspired to be.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
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After the White House meeting, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At least four people were killed and eight were injured after a gunman attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints service in Michigan on Sunday morning, police said.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
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Since finding out the gun that killed Dark Hearts member Warren Clarke (Joshua Dye) at the trap house robbery gone wrong once belonged to one of their own, Perry has been on a mission to figure out who inside the biker gang was feeding information to the thieves.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Assembly can only grant full membership with the approval of the Security Council, a move that America would likely veto.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
22 Sep. 2025
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Newsom vetoed the bill, warning that rigid requirements could drive talent and investment out of California without meaningfully improving safety, a concern echoed by governments worldwide, hesitant to impose strong guardrails.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the affidavit, a detective noted that Decker — who was divorced from his daughters’ mother — refused to sign a parenting plan that required him to seek mental health treatment and domestic violence anger management.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
25 Sep. 2025
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These include satellites apparently so secret that the US government refused to identify the agency that owns them.—
Benj Edwards,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In April, Moody’s revised the rating outlook for Thailand to negative from stable, flagging rising political uncertainty and sustained growth weakness.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
1 Sep. 2025
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On the way to scoring a 25-19, 25-9, 25-4 victory, UW was not blocked once, held the Bobcats to negative hitting in each set and in the final set tied a program record for fewest points allowed in a set.—
Mark Stewart,
Journal Sentinel,
2 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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