Synonyms of shoot down

shoot down

verb

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

• ridicule
• mock
• laugh (at)
• rag on
• make sport of
• make fun of
• poke fun at
• scout
• tease
• deride
• taunt
• parody
• jeer
• gibe
• cock snooks (at)
• skewer
• scoff (at)
• imitate
• sneer (at)
• cock a snook (at)
• torment
• harass
• put down
• target
• scorn
• take off (on)
• disparage
• belittle
• decry
• rag
• ride
• rib
• needle
• kid
• bug
• quiz
• rally
• mimic
• tweak
• bait
• razz
• pester
• twit
• jive
• caricature
• harry
• parrot
• satirize
• bad-mouth
• ape
• josh
• pooh-pooh
• chaff
• heckle
• hassle
• burlesque
• pillory
• lampoon
• catcall
• travesty
• barrack

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• approve
• commend
• endorse
• applaud
• sanction

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

• dismiss
• kill
• veto
• refuse
• negative
• down
• blackball
• decline
• disapprove
• nix
• disallow
• blacklist

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confirm
• allow
• pass
• admit
• approve
• ratify
• support
• assent (to)
• elect
• sanction

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

• refute
• overturn
• disprove
• challenge
• discredit
• rebut
• falsify
• discuss
• confute
• confound
• belie
• debunk
• question
• talk over
• contest
• disconfirm
• overthrow
• give the lie to
• doubt
• debate
• hash (over)
• query
• mistrust
• moot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prove
• establish
• verify
• show
• confirm
• validate
• support
• document
• record
• witness
• back (up)
• identify
• evidence
• substantiate
• illustrate
• demonstrate
• certify
• display
• manifest
• corroborate
• evince
• buttress
• adduce
• authenticate
• attest

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shoot down

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 726 drones overnight over a number of Russian regions, annexed Crimea and the Black and Azov seas, in one of Ukraine’s biggest aerial attacks of the war. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Earlier this week, Russian authorities reported shooting down 791 Ukrainian drones in a single night, one of the largest attacks of the war; more than 600 of them were flying toward the Moscow region, according to the city’s mayor. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

Also unclear is the status of characters played by Gibson, Bridges, Kang, and Emmanuel, all of whom were in a plane that was shot down in the sequel, leaving their fates unknown. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Aug. 2026

Payton shot down a report of a position change early in camp, but there was Barron in the first half Friday night looking like a safety on one particular snap as the Broncos blitzed in zero coverage. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2026