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
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
Poland's military reported shooting down multiple unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs) early on September 10, following what officials described as a violation of national airspace.
—Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 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
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Poland's military reported shooting down multiple unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs) early on September 10, following what officials described as a violation of national airspace.
—Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 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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Trump has also criticized President Obama’s Nobel Prize, ridiculing it during a 2020 rally.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Bianco has repeatedly made public comments ridiculing the relatives of the dead.—
Christopher Damien,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Dills encourages parents to explore and research their options before dismissing Montessori education.—
Katrina Donham,
Parents,
23 Sep. 2025
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Not too long ago, Western markets were subtly dismissing Chinese cars for coming off as bargain-basement alternatives.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Barrett himself previously addressed the rumors surrounding his time off, refuting any suggestion that he had been removed from his position.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Authoritarians historically come for the comics first, and most recently under Putin, satirist Idrak Mirzalizade was jailed and deported for mocking Russian housing.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
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Brian stumbles back to his father’s tent, where an angry Simon takes his frustration over Uncle Mac’s mocking out on his son.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Investigators would soon discover a disturbing truth that Daniel had been impersonating a boyfriend Kristil had as a teenager for months, terrorizing his own family before ultimately killing his wife.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
26 Sep. 2025
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Defense attorneys for the man accused of killing his Miami Hurricanes football star teammate in 2006 want prosecutors sanctioned — or the murder case dismissed — after a key witness, who state prosecutors believed was dead, was found alive by an ESPN reporter.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Jimmy’s quick return is not proof of corporate backbone—massive station groups Sinclair and NexStar are still refusing to air the show.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
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Earlier this month, another passenger was dragged off a plane by police for allegedly refusing to wear a seatbelt.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shooting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shooting%20down. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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