Synonyms of shooting down

shooting down

verb

present participle of shoot down

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

• ridiculing
• mocking
• laughing (at)
• making fun of
• poking fun at
• ragging on
• making sport of
• cocking snooks (at)
• scouting
• cocking a snook (at)
• taunting
• teasing
• jeering
• deriding
• gibing
• sneering (at)
• parodying
• scoffing (at)
• skewering
• taking off (on)
• tormenting
• harassing
• imitating
• targeting
• putting down
• disparaging
• belittling
• scorning
• kidding
• decrying
• riding
• ribbing
• baiting
• quizzing
• razzing
• pestering
• rallying
• mimicking
• tweaking
• travestying
• ragging
• twitting
• bugging
• chaffing
• jiving
• parroting
• heckling
• satirizing
• burlesquing
• caricaturing
• bad-mouthing
• joshing
• aping
• harrying
• hassling
• lampooning
• pillorying
• needling
• pooh-poohing
• catcalling
• barracking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• approving
• endorsing
• commending
• sanctioning
• applauding

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

• dismissing
• killing
• vetoing
• refusing
• downing
• negativing
• blackballing
• declining
• disallowing
• nixing
• disapproving
• blacklisting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confirming
• passing
• allowing
• approving
• admitting
• ratifying
• assenting (to)
• supporting
• electing
• sanctioning

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

• refuting
• overturning
• challenging
• disproving
• giving the lie to
• discrediting
• falsifying
• rebutting
• discussing
• debunking
• confounding
• confuting
• talking over
• belying
• questioning
• disconfirming
• hashing (over)
• contesting
• overthrowing
• doubting
• debating
• querying
• mistrusting
• mooting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• establishing
• proving
• confirming
• verifying
• showing
• validating
• recording
• backing (up)
• supporting
• documenting
• witnessing
• evidencing
• identifying
• corroborating
• displaying
• certifying
• evincing
• illustrating
• attesting
• demonstrating
• manifesting
• substantiating
• buttressing
• authenticating
• adducing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shooting down

Its board of trustees voted to add his name back to the building’s facade, despite a judge shooting down a prior attempt. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, Ukraine has already augmented its air defenses around Odesa and other ports, with videos showing aircraft, including an F-16 and a Yak-52, shooting down Geran-4s. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Whatever the mission type, the winning team is determined by total score, which includes both fulfilling the mission objective and shooting down enemies. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026

In total, Russia launched 88 long-range attack drones and one ballistic missile overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, with air defenses shooting down or jamming 79 of the drones. — ABC News, 22 June 2026

Jordan reported shooting down a drone on Wednesday. — Reuters, NBC news, 20 May 2026

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed an effort to extend the pre-eviction filing notice period by 15 days, weeks after shooting down a similar measure that would have extended the period by 30 days. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 1 May 2026

As the rookie in the studio, Kay wasn’t completely comfortable shooting down ideas, yet. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026

Boyington was a flying ace credited with shooting down 28 Japanese aircraft during the war. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026