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
-
By the 1830s, politicians had stopped ridiculing America’s growing canal system.—
Matthew Smith,
The Conversation,
20 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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In the aftermath of the meeting, LSU personnel met to discuss the viability of dismissing the coach, considering his massive buyout clause.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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Comments such as these underlie the medical establishment’s long history of dismissing women’s pain, which can further harm their health.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The film spends the next hour and 50 minutes refuting that idea.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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The president has spent much of the shutdown mocking Democrats, posting videos of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a Mexican sombrero.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
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Netflix’s true-crime documentaries have a recognizable sheen to them—the streamer even released a comedy series mocking its take on the genre.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Wuornos was convicted of first-degree murder in 1992 for killing Mallory and sentenced to death.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Three years later, Wuornos began the killing spree for which she would be remembered, murdering at least six men in Florida between 1989 and 1990.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There, Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the legislature, and the state’s Democratic governor, Josh Stein, is prevented from vetoing redistricting maps.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
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Newsom finished signing and vetoing the remaining bills on Monday evening.—
Kate Wolffe
October 14,
Sacbee.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The documents included disciplinary information and reportedly showed that Sherrill was barred from walking at her 1994 graduation after refusing to inform on classmates involved in a cheating scandal.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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The violations include student-athletes betting on and against their own teams, sharing information with third parties for purposes of sports betting, manipulating scoring or outcomes and/or refusing to participate in the investigation.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shooting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shooting%20down. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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