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.
There’s a massive shoot-out where Alamo and Laurie are both killed, violently. Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026 There’s no shortage of other dramatic crests, among them a climactic shoot-out in a cornfield that’s a model of steadily mounting suspense. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026 This fourth season was the series’ most ambitious, both in its set pieces (shoot-outs, car chases) and in its interrogation of what its characters value and love, and if Dark Winds can keep mixing up the flavor of Leaphorn and Chee’s foes, its forecast looks good. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 May 2026 He was killed in a shoot-out with Miami-Dade County police officers. Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026 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 5 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

shoot-out

noun
ˈshüt-ˌau̇t
: a battle fought with handguns or rifles
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