shoot down

1 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 deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, laugh (at), mock, scout, ridicule, skewerRelated Words scoff (at), scorn, sneer (at); bad-mouth, belittle, decry, disparage, pooh-pooh (also pooh), put down; chaff, jive, josh, kid, quiz, rally, razz, rib, ride, tease, tweak, twit; bait, barrack [chiefly British], bug, catcall, harass, harry, hassle, heckle, needle, pester, rag, target, taunt, torment; ape, burlesque, caricature, imitate, lampoon, mimic, parody, parrot, pillory, satirize, take off (on), travestyNear Antonyms applaud, approve, commend, endorse (also indorse), sanction

2 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 blackball, down, kill, nix, negative, vetoRelated Words decline, disallow, disapprove, dismiss, refuse; blacklistNear Antonyms admit, allow, approve, assent (to), pass, sanction; elect, supportAntonyms confirm, ratify

3 to prove to be false the results of several studies shoot down the hypothesis that coffee causes heart attacks Synonyms belie, confound, confute, debunk, disconfirm, discredit, falsify, rebut, refute, disproveRelated Words overthrow, overturn; challenge, contest, query, question; doubt, mistrust; debate, discuss, hash (over), moot, talk overNear Antonyms document, evidence, evince, record, show, support, witness; back (up), buttress, corroborate, substantiate; adduce, attest, authenticate, certify, identify; demonstrate, display, illustrate, manifestAntonyms confirm, establish, prove, validate, verify