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
Polish jets shot down at least three of the aircraft.
—
George Petras, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
On Wednesday, Poland confirmed that 19 Russian drones crossed its borders, four of which were shot down with NATO help.
—David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Russia also appears to have upped the ante dramatically by sending at least 19 drones into Poland last night, some of which were shot down by NATO forces.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
Poland's military reported shooting down multiple unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs) early on September 10, following what officials described as a violation of national airspace.
—Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
George Petras, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
On Wednesday, Poland confirmed that 19 Russian drones crossed its borders, four of which were shot down with NATO help.
—David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Russia also appears to have upped the ante dramatically by sending at least 19 drones into Poland last night, some of which were shot down by NATO forces.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
Poland's military reported shooting down multiple unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs) early on September 10, following what officials described as a violation of national airspace.
—Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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His sophomore slump was ridiculed as his completion percentage dropped and his interception percentage rose.—
Aaron Heisen,
Oc Register,
8 Sep. 2025
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Wednesday ridicules Pugsley for making a zombie.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Despite lacking any legal education or experience, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year and intends to defend himself at trial.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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When retail loses money, it’s often dismissed as inexperience.—
Anmol Verma,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That backup has since grown into a hundreds-strong campaign to refute the DHS allegations, which supporters call a resurgence of anti-Muslim fearmongering that has persisted across party lines since the 9/11 attacks 24 years ago this month.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Days after the hearing, the leader of the Pentagon's office to investigate UFOs provided testimony of his own refuting some of the claims.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While the performative male has been mocked online for appearing inauthentic, Rosen and Park see it as a net positive that men are making an effort to develop genuine taste and veer away from leather recliners with cup holders and T-shirts as pillowcases.—
Viv Chen,
Architectural Digest,
9 Sep. 2025
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His friend Daniel Georges, humorously and wisely played by arthouse favorite Isaach De Bankolé, is a priest who tries to get him on the right track, even sending him articles from the Catholic Worker, only for Robbie to mock him by knocking on the table and asking if God’s inside the linoleum.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Utah police on Friday arrested Tyler Robinson for allegedly killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, although his potential motive remains hazy.—
Claire Cameron,
semafor.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Key Background Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was killed in an unprovoked attack on a commuter rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Texas Legislature passed a bill to that effect during the regular legislative session, but Abbott vetoed the bill, citing legal concerns.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Sep. 2025
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Yet an administrator vetoes the plan, and the meeting’s start is uncaffeinated.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The search giant has refused to license content from news organizations and publishers, while other AI labs have done licensing deals.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
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For Jordan, that battle has meant staying grounded in his faith and refusing to let the disease isolate him.—
Essence,
Essence,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In April, Moody’s revised the rating outlook for Thailand to negative from stable, flagging rising political uncertainty and sustained growth weakness.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
1 Sep. 2025
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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 18 Sep. 2025.
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