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
New details are emerging from the dramatic rescue of two American airmen in a remote corner of Southwest Iran after their F-15 fighter jet was shot down Friday.
—
Max Burman, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
Boyington was a flying ace credited with shooting down 28 Japanese aircraft during the war.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026
That post came minutes after the president announced the rescue of the second crew member from a F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over Iran last week.
—Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
The pilot was rescued shortly after the shoot down, but the colonel, a weapons officer, could not immediately be reached.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Max Burman, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
Boyington was a flying ace credited with shooting down 28 Japanese aircraft during the war.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026
That post came minutes after the president announced the rescue of the second crew member from a F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over Iran last week.
—Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
The pilot was rescued shortly after the shoot down, but the colonel, a weapons officer, could not immediately be reached.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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The 2017 Kusama show was also ridiculed in some corners.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
It was ridiculed in many quarters for doing so.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But in the motion to dismiss, McCallum said the shooter did not touch the railing.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
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The deal dismissed charges of first-degree murder, tampering with a human body, burglary and theft from his case.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The documentary is already stirring up buzz due to Odom’s recent comments refuting some of the details and recollections from his ex-wife Khloé Kardashian.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Alito and his supporters worked hard to refute any suggestion of partisanship.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Of note, a player who has been commonly mocked to the Cowboys, cornerback Jermod McCoy, was not among the 30 visitors.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
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Tight end Assuming Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq is long gone, there’s only one who’s a potential option at 43 - Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, who Miller mocks to Miami.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The day the truce was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, killing more than 300 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
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Several bills to increase restrictions have already been killed this legislative session, with a single measure to digitize reports still alive.—
Thomas Heaton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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By the time Ambassador Martin authorized an evacuation, the only way out—since Martin had vetoed a proposal to put refugees on freighters and take them down the Saigon River to the coast (too demoralizing a spectacle)—was by helicopter.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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DeSantis vetoed the map originally approved by the Legislature and forced lawmakers back in special session to approve a map drawn up by his staff that eliminated a congressional district with a majority of Black residents.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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She was commanded multiple times to drop the knife, but refused and cut the toddler's face.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
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Earlier, media reports said all students were evacuated and police special operations units were deployed after the assailant refused to surrender.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 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 15 Apr. 2026.
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