SHOOT DOWN Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

shoot down

verb

Definition of shoot down

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

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

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 Based on the condition of the wreckage, historians believe the aircraft was likely shot down by coastal anti-aircraft batteries. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 23 July 2026 Some areas received almost a year’s worth of precipitation in just a few days, sending deadly waves of water shooting down rivers and streams. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 July 2026 In an interesting episode during the 1974-75 war, the Peshmerga managed to shoot down an Iraqi MiG-19 fighter jet and capture its pilot, who was treated exceptionally humanely. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 The announcement arrives following the March release of the musician’s memoir, Even the Good Girls Will Cry, which inadvertently sparked rumors of a Hole reunion which were quickly shot down by Courtney Love. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoot down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down

Verb

Dundon’s move was widely criticized — and ridiculed — after the Hurricanes on Thursday posted a picture of the engravings on social media.

— Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Not too shabby for a man who was roundly ridiculed for his defection from LaLiga in 2007.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of ridicule

Verb

Ray Wilkins was appointed manager and Fulham finished sixth — but Al Fayed was not satisfied, dismissing Wilkins and handing the job to Keegan.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Huffy, a brand once dismissed by some but historically durable and even Olympic-raced, has successfully reinvented itself in the e-bike market.

— William Roberson, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

This timeline refutes the notion that classifying obesity as a disease is driven by commercial interests by drugmakers.

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026
That would have dedicated more than a tenth of the NIH’s annual budget to investigating a hypothesis already refuted by scientists worldwide.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Definition of refute

Verb

Fans rightfully mocked the dancing cars mounted on robot arms that played during an inexplicable diversion on Universal Studios Hollywood’s Studio Tour.

— Robert Niles, Oc Register, 21 July 2026
By and large, the General Assembly mocks his policy proposals and ignores his leadership.

— Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2026

Definition of mock

Verb

During the first four months of 2026 alone, drone strikes killed at least 880 civilians and accounted for more than 80% of civilian deaths recorded by the UN.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
The fire killed 168 people, most likely because of unscrupulous contractors who used shoddy materials.

— New York Times, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of kill

Verb

To become secretary-general, a candidate must receive a state nomination, win the endorsement of the Security Council without being vetoed, and get confirmed by the General Assembly.

— Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
While the health plan designed the system to be fair, patients and their lawyers have alleged that in reality Kaiser’s greater knowledge of arbitrators’ past rulings and its ability to veto arbitrators gives it an advantage to pick favorable judges.

— Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of veto

Verb

Varela said a customer service representative refused to help fix an issue with his daughter’s ticket, which had incorrectly listed her last name as her middle name due to an error his wife accidentally made when booking the flight a few months ago.

— Thom Jensen, NBC news, 20 July 2026
Gavin refuses to use a byproduct solely because it would otherwise be discarded.

— Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of refuse

Verb

But bad news continued as a leading ratings agency slashed its outlook for BMW to negative from stable, as analysts wondered if the German manufacturing base might be under threat.

— Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
The move is part of Moody’s broader revision of its outlook for private credit investment vehicles to negative.

— Sharon Klyne, Bloomberg, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of negative

Browse Nearby Words

shoot at

shoot down

shooter

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shoot down

verb

Example Sentences

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