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
Any complaints to management are immediately shot down.
—
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 31 Mar. 2026
So far lawmakers haven’t, slowing, softening and then shooting down a bipartisan measure that would have enlisted the state Department of Agriculture to take on the burgeoning pest.
—Mark Dee
march 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Paton on Monday shot down any notion that Denver might look to trade from the position now that Waddle sits at the top of it.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
The public had little awareness of the U-2 until the infamous Gary Powers incident in 1960 when a U-2 was shot down by the Soviets inside their territory, which was a bit of a shock in more ways than one.
—David Szondy
march 29, New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 31 Mar. 2026
So far lawmakers haven’t, slowing, softening and then shooting down a bipartisan measure that would have enlisted the state Department of Agriculture to take on the burgeoning pest.
—Mark Dee
march 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Paton on Monday shot down any notion that Denver might look to trade from the position now that Waddle sits at the top of it.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
The public had little awareness of the U-2 until the infamous Gary Powers incident in 1960 when a U-2 was shot down by the Soviets inside their territory, which was a bit of a shock in more ways than one.
—David Szondy
march 29, New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
-
Bondi was ridiculed over a move to hand out binders of Epstein files to conservative influencers at the White House, only for it to be later revealed that the documents included no new revelations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Bondi was ridiculed over a move to hand out binders of Epstein files to conservative influencers at the White House only for it to be later revealed that the documents included no new revelations.—
Michelle L. Price,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Authorities had since dismissed her lawyers’ requests to send her to a hospital for urgent treatment.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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There is a long history of women's pain being dismissed by doctors, incorrectly categorized as period pain or rooted in psychological distress.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jones, who lived in San Francisco for years before moving to Napa, refuted the insinuation of carpetbagging.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Saatchi, at least, welcomes pushback — and at times doesn’t even refute it.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In vivid, dramatic language more befitting of a pulp novel accompanied by fanciful illustrations, the story said that reports of monsters first started surfacing in Canada, only to be met with mocking dismissal in Chicago.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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This festival featured carnivals that included music, costumes, and mocking church rituals.—
Paula Soria,
AZCentral.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Authorities allege her husband, 40-year-old Stephen Bowen, killed her with a shotgun.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
They get captured by Hungarian gangsters and have to fight (and kill) their way out of an inn run by a shady former dance prodigy (Uma Thurman).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Lawmakers can pass a better, stronger bill, leaving DeSantis free to veto the first attempt.—
Krys Fluker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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The Miami Beach Commission had urged DeSantis to veto the bill.—
Gray Rohrer,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Increasingly, judges are opting to sanction lawyers who submit briefs tainted by AI errors, Moylan said, sometimes fining those who refuse to admit wrongdoing or referring them to their state’s bar association for disciplinary actions.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Like the impish anti-romance that crumbles around it, the movie’s twist is both transgressive enough to be pleased with itself and also rooted in a reality that refuses to be dismissed as a bad joke.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 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 4 Apr. 2026.
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