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 pain can range from a dull ache to a sharp pain that may shoot down the leg.
—
Brandi Jones, Health, 6 Sep. 2025
Despite shooting down any suggestions of infidelity, she’s continued to field the questions and comments, responding politely to the seemingly never-ending queries.
—Sara Belcher, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
The 2016 book tells the incredible true story of Arthur Meyerowitz, an American turret-gunner whose B-24 bomber was shot down over Vichy France in 1943.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense systems shot down the remaining drones and missiles.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Brandi Jones, Health, 6 Sep. 2025
Despite shooting down any suggestions of infidelity, she’s continued to field the questions and comments, responding politely to the seemingly never-ending queries.
—Sara Belcher, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
The 2016 book tells the incredible true story of Arthur Meyerowitz, an American turret-gunner whose B-24 bomber was shot down over Vichy France in 1943.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense systems shot down the remaining drones and missiles.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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Wednesday ridicules Pugsley for making a zombie.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
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One of the primary barriers to feeling completely safe with your partner is the fear of being judged, mocked and ridiculed for being honest or opening up.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The actor denied the allegations, and the case was later dismissed, per The Hollywood Reporter.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Those who dismissed intersectionality saw such policies as little more than allowing the disadvantaged to commit crimes without consequences to make up for past inequities, afflicting crime victims from the same disadvantaged communities.—
John Scott Lewinski,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To me, debate is about forming your own arguments and pushing yourself to refute curveball counters.—
Ashanty Rosario,
The Atlantic,
3 Sep. 2025
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Other organizations and scientists have refuted the DOE’s review, including the American Meteorological Society, which highlighted further flaws in the report and urged a correction of the findings by the agency.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lopez noted and mocked Johnson’s comments, sarcastically asking why the mayor didn’t blame it on other historic phenomena.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
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For Gen Z, shaped by a hyper-online upbringing where missteps are often amplified and mocked, being obviously earnest can feel risky.—
Ruth Oh Reitmeier,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over the past two months, Texans have used green ribbons with bows to commemorate the lives lost in the July 4 Hill Country flooding, which killed more than 100 people, including more than two dozen girls and counselors from Camp Mystic in Hunt.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
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Jerry Jeudy makes far too much money to wreck possessions with two drops, one that killed a drive and another that resulted in a crushing interception.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But Polis vetoed it, in part because of Uber’s threat to leave.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
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In June, the governor vetoed the county’s $4 million in state budget requests after a commissioner criticized Senate Bill 180, a controversial pro-developer state law.—
Josh Salman,
Miami Herald,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Anisimova dialed in, desperately refusing to give Osaka any openings.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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The airline reserves the right to refuse transportation to plus-size passengers who cannot be safely accommodated.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
4 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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