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 Broward County Commission has shot down a proposal that would have cleared the way for a property owner to put up warehouses on and near environmentally sensitive land, some of which has been home to a colony of African vervet monkeys since the late 1940s.
—
Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
And, crucially, if they are shot down, they are not mourned by the public.
—Justin Salhani, The Dial, 5 Mar. 2026
Iran denied firing a missile toward Turkey a day after Turkey said NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile heading toward its airspace.
—Júlia Ledur, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Israel’s military said Wednesday that the shoot down over the Iranian capital was a key milestone for its F-35 fleet.
—Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
And, crucially, if they are shot down, they are not mourned by the public.
—Justin Salhani, The Dial, 5 Mar. 2026
Iran denied firing a missile toward Turkey a day after Turkey said NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile heading toward its airspace.
—Júlia Ledur, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Israel’s military said Wednesday that the shoot down over the Iranian capital was a key milestone for its F-35 fleet.
—Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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Soviet satire and humor journals, for example, ridiculed Western imperialism.—
Neringa Klumbytė,
The Conversation,
4 Mar. 2026
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Other potential candidates, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gavin Newsom, have achieved fame by berating and ridiculing the other side.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, these picture-perfect images are often dismissed as advertisements that ignore the far less glamorous issues in the destination, including human rights abuses.—
Tamara Hardingham-Gill,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Prosecutors dismissed doxxing charges in the Baldwin Park case after a Homeland Security investigator told the court the address that protesters shouted on the livestream was a few houses away from where Reyes lived.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Why won’t they be refuted easily?—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
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The new ad campaign appears to be an extension of his work to refute the anti-California narrative.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bold choices are applauded or mocked—or mocked at the time and then applauded later.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Vanity Fair,
3 Mar. 2026
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This might be the first time a film opens in theaters attached to a trailer for another movie mocking its franchise.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Most of the strikes occur in the summer, killing 20 people each year, according to the NWS.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
7 Mar. 2026
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The long-simmering rivalry between Sunni and Shiite Muslims erupted into a civil war that killed tens of thousands of civilians.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trump can veto any bills sent to him and send them back to Congress, which can override his veto with a two-thirds majority in each chamber.—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Kings stayed in Sacramento after NBA league owners vetoed the move to Seattle.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even more concerning was that the reservoir continually shrunk in its scale as owners of the land refused to sell, forcing engineers to work with a smaller footprint and alarming scientists.—
Michael Adno,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
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In the wake of the federal probe, the city has refused to answer basic questions about the subpoena and the allegations that have roiled Kansas City politics.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
3 Mar. 2026
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 10 Mar. 2026.
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