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
The Duffer Brothers previously said Netflix shot down the idea, but things have changed.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Tuesday night brought the latest barrage, more than 400 drones and 20-plus missiles, around 350 of which were shot down, Ukraine's air force command said.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
And in the comments of her introductory video, her team shoots down every plausible guess.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Pakistan, China’s closest military partner and currently the only foreign operator of the J-10C, claims its aircraft shot down Indian jets during a five-day conflict in May.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Tuesday night brought the latest barrage, more than 400 drones and 20-plus missiles, around 350 of which were shot down, Ukraine's air force command said.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
And in the comments of her introductory video, her team shoots down every plausible guess.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Pakistan, China’s closest military partner and currently the only foreign operator of the J-10C, claims its aircraft shot down Indian jets during a five-day conflict in May.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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Claiming victimhood was a cop-out; those who made accusations of assault were ridiculed.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Beyond this, there has been a significant amount of backlash on social media, as users have ridiculed the move by Austin.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Venables was dismissed early in the next campaign following three straight defeats, but Lineker went on to net another 20 times that season, helping win the Copa del Rey under Luis Aragones.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Court rules don't allow plaintiffs to submit additional evidence to counter a motion to dismiss, Alex said.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In their letter Tuesday, Smith's attorneys sought to refute a narrative stemming from a document released by the FBI on the eve of Attorney General Pam Bondi's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
21 Oct. 2025
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Like Dunbar’s speakers, Hughes’s dispossessed have no way out, and the poem implicitly refutes optimism regarding the Great Migration and racial progress.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The principal of a Chicago elementary school that employs a teacher who appeared to mock the assassination of Charlie Kirk apparently portrayed the educator as a victim amid backlash over her behavior.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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He has already been known to privately mock conservative pastors.—
Rev. Nathan Empsall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, the demon baby then proceeded to brutally rip apart and kill Teddy, Phil, and Susie, leaving only Lilly and Ronnie alive before the credits rolled.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
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Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas’s attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and laid waste to swaths of territory.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Newsom ultimate vetoed a more restrictive piece of AI chatbot legislation that was supported by some online safety advocates, including the parents of Orange County teen Adam Raine, who died by suicide after using AI for companionship.—
Kate Wolffe
October 23,
Sacbee.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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While the governor, Josh Stein, is a Democrat, state law does not allow the governor to veto redistricting plans.—
Joseph Ax,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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By refusing to specify details of the case, the government keeps the possibility alive of changing their reasoning or their claims to have the same effect for different reasons—just as the mob changes its reasoning for killing Cinna.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
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If Taiwan refuses to capitulate in a quarantine or blockade, an invasion could follow.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 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 29 Oct. 2025.
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