1
as in ridiculing
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 dismissing
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 refuting
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 shooting down
It has also been accused of a series of serious NATO airspace violations by Russian drones and fighter jets, fueling discussions among allies about shooting down the aircraft.
—
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Despite neither triggering a NATO response nor shooting down the drones, Denmark is still mulling a possible response to the sightings.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 27 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
Taylor quipped, referencing Kylie shooting down a drunken idea of Jason's.
—Rachel McRady, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Despite neither triggering a NATO response nor shooting down the drones, Denmark is still mulling a possible response to the sightings.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 27 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
Taylor quipped, referencing Kylie shooting down a drunken idea of Jason's.
—Rachel McRady, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shooting down
Verb
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The show opened with a skit mocking Hegseth, portrayed by comedian Colin Jost, ridiculing the Defense Secretary's address to military leaders in Quantico, Virginia, last week.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
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Shortly after dropping the album art on Instagram, social media was flooded with disappointed fans ridiculing the cover.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But dismissing the rise in antisemitism as mere policing of speech about Israel is disingenuous and dangerous.—
Dafna Michaelson Jenet,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
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Less than four months later, though, a California judge stopped her in her tracks, dismissing her entire complaint on a technicality.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Michaels took to her Instagram days after the release of Fit for TV to post a series of screenshots of text chains, email threads, and other pieces of documentation refuting or otherwise complicating each claim leveled at her.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Oct. 2025
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Health experts and medical organizations are refuting claims of a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.—
Beth Warren,
Nashville Tennessean,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Katherine del Rio took to social media to post, then delete, a couple of Instagram Stories mocking Leah Lewis following the incident on the set of the CBS drama.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
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It has also been used as a derogatory term, mocking immigrant culture in Lima during the mass migrations of Indigenous Andean people to Lima in the 20th century.—
NPR,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When Benson was on the ice killing penalties, the Sabres generated two scoring chances and allowed zero.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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But Halfmann suspects this hair-trigger system is needlessly killing brain cells in diseases like Alzheimer's.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Newsom finished signing and vetoing the remaining bills on Monday evening.—
Kate Wolffe
October 14,
Sacbee.com,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The Democrats, on Tuesday, also asked the White House to commit to vetoing any legislation passed to raise the age of eligibility for Social Security and to divulge whether officials have discussed changing the requirement, among other topics.—
Sophia Vento,
The Hill,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One person was arrested after blocking the roadway and refusing to move their vehicle, Lee said, adding that the person was later transported for medical reasons but remains subject to arrest.—
Stephanie Murray,
AZCentral.com,
18 Oct. 2025
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In August 2023, the airline apologized to two passengers who were escorted off a plane after refusing to sit in a soiled seat.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shooting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shooting%20down. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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