1
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
2
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
3
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
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Recent Examples of shoot down
One of the missiles fell well short of its target and the other was shot down, said Defence Secretary John Healey.
—
Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 24 Mar. 2026
Most alarming were potential shortages of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missiles, which are among the most effective weapons to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles.
—Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump on Sunday shot down funding every agency inside the department -- except Immigration and Custom Enforcement, according to the sources.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Last week, the Senate shot down the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s massive budget for 2027.
—Idaho Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 24 Mar. 2026
Most alarming were potential shortages of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missiles, which are among the most effective weapons to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles.
—Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump on Sunday shot down funding every agency inside the department -- except Immigration and Custom Enforcement, according to the sources.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Last week, the Senate shot down the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s massive budget for 2027.
—Idaho Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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The move was ridiculed by rival Anthropic, which made OpenAI’s ad push the focus of its first Super Bowl campaign.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
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The deputies, in their testimony, said the songs ridiculed them.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Johnson dismissed the criticism.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Red flags worth walking away from include dismissing symptoms without investigation, attributing everything to stress or anxiety, discouraging second opinions and making patients feel rushed.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jones, who lived in San Francisco for years before moving to Napa, refuted the insinuation of carpetbagging.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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Saatchi, at least, welcomes pushback — and at times doesn’t even refute it.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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People created memes and videos mocking Roan for mistreating children.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Mar. 2026
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Continue reading … GOVERNOR GRUMBLING — Joe Rogan blasts Newsom for allegedly mocking YouTuber investigating California fraud.—
,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And years later, when the group splintered into increasingly militant factions, some took part in a disastrous bank robbery that killed an innocent guard and two police officers—three men who were just doing their jobs that day, and who left behind their own kids, their own families.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Three people were killed when a tour helicopter broke apart near Honolulu in April 2019, and that December seven people died - including three children - when one crashed in turbulent weather near the famed Na Pali Coast.—
JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Lawmakers can pass a better, stronger bill, leaving DeSantis free to veto the first attempt.—
Krys Fluker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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The Miami Beach Commission had urged DeSantis to veto the bill.—
Gray Rohrer,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Increasingly, judges are opting to sanction lawyers who submit briefs tainted by AI errors, Moylan said, sometimes fining those who refuse to admit wrongdoing or referring them to their state’s bar association for disciplinary actions.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Like the impish anti-romance that crumbles around it, the movie’s twist is both transgressive enough to be pleased with itself and also rooted in a reality that refuses to be dismissed as a bad joke.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Corning stock has been an outlier this year, rallying nearly 60% year to date while the broader market is flat to negative.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
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On the way to scoring a 25-19, 25-9, 25-4 victory, UW was not blocked once, held the Bobcats to negative hitting in each set and in the final set tied a program record for fewest points allowed in a set.—
Mark Stewart,
Journal Sentinel,
2 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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