shoot down

verb

shot down; shooting down; shoots down
Synonyms of shoot downnext

transitive verb

1
: to cause to fall by shooting
shot down the helicopter
especially : to kill in this way
was shot down in cold blood
2
: to put an end to : defeat, reject
shoot down legislation
3
4
: discredit sense 2
shoot down a theory

Examples of shoot down in a Sentence

nowadays the aging activist is routinely shot down in most quarters of the media and dismissed as an irrelevant crank every one of my fund-raising ideas was shot down by the other club members
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.
Cellphone video first obtained by TMZ and verified by NBC News shows the boy twist and shoot down the waterfall just behind a ride vehicle filled with parkgoers. Dennis Romero, NBC news, 24 June 2026 In an October 2025 incident, a man armed with a rifle shot down one of the drones operated by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office before officers negotiated his surrender. Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026 The case revolved around the interpretation of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996, also known as the Helms-Burton Act, which was passed by Congress after Cuba shot down two unarmed planes flown by humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 23 June 2026 Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that its forces shot down 177 Ukrainian drones during the night. Claudia Ciobanu, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoot down

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoot down was in 1657

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Cite this Entry

“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoot%20down. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

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