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 air force said that 135 drones, of which 70 were jet-powered, were shot down or otherwise suppressed. — David Brennan, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026

Russia launched 164 drones across Ukraine overnight into Sunday, 137 of which were shot down, the Ukrainian Air Force said that morning. — Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026

In May 2025, a MAGURA V7 armed with air-to-air missiles shot down a Russian Su-30 fighter jet over the Black Sea, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. — David Averre, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Nov. 2026

Forcing the president to shoot down numerous popular bills could give them fodder in the 2028 election. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026