1
: a battle fought with handguns or rifles
2
: something resembling a shoot-out
broadly : showdown
3
: a shooting competition in overtime that is used to determine the winner of a game (as in soccer or hockey) tied at the end of regular play

Examples of shoot-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Shevchenko had to score to keep the shoot-out alive but his effort was tame and Dudek secured his place in Liverpool folklore. James Pearce, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025 Many thrillers end with shoot-outs and chases—in this case, a mighty three-car affair, brilliantly staged over a rolling desert highway. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025 In recent years, Fort Bragg has seen alarming numbers of suicides, fatal overdoses, soldier-on-soldier murders, and shoot-outs with civilians in nearby Fayetteville, as well as many cases of drug smuggling in the Special Forces and the XVIII Airborne Corps. Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 And though all of Anderson’s artistry and jittery comedic sensibility is present, the director hasn’t created a pretentious version of an action flick; One Battle After Another is the real thing, filled with beautifully shot car chases and shoot-outs. David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shoot-out

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoot-out was in 1948

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Cite this Entry

“Shoot-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoot-out. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

shoot-out

noun
ˈshüt-ˌau̇t
: a battle fought with handguns or rifles
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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