shooting

noun

shoot·​ing ˈshü-tiŋ 

plural shootings

1

: the act of shooting a gun

But shooting is many a man's choice, especially up at the great hunting clubs like Choctaw Bluff …

—Harriet de Rosišre

2

: an instance of gun violence directed toward a person or group of people

a drive-by shooting

mass shootings

… a clutch of outspoken student activists flipped the national script on school shootings in America.

—Dahlia Lithwick

3

: the act of photographing or filming someone or something

A large fan specially designed to create the effect of wind during shooting.

—Ira Konigsberg

That part of filmmaking that comes immediately after the shooting is completed …

—Ira Konigsberg

Examples of shooting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Young hit three 3-pointers and scored 22 points — her career high in a first half — on 7-of-9 shooting as the Aces took a 52-44 lead into the intermission. — ABC News, 31 July 2026

The new teams are part of a larger focus on school safety across Georgia following the 2024 mass shooting at Apalachee High School. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 31 July 2026

Seattle’s police chief resigned Thursday after days of questions about the release of information following a shooting at a food festival that left three people dead, including two bystanders. — Joe Kottke, NBC news, 31 July 2026

Police have not released a possible motive for the shooting or identified the two victims. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shooting

• go shooting
• hip-shooting
• shooting gallery
• shooting guard
• shooting iron
• shooting script
• shooting star
• shooting stick
• skeet shooting
• the whole shooting match
• wing shooting

Rhymes for shooting

• booting
• fluting
• fruiting
• hooting
• looting
• muting
• rooting
• scooting
• suiting
• tooting
• commuting
• computing

Medical Definition

shooting

adjective

shoot·​ing

: characterized by sudden sharp piercing sensations

shooting pains