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
Iran has not directly claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter.
—
Sean Conlon,lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 9 June 2026
The original Star Fox 64's Versus Mode featured up to four players as different members of Team Star Fox, competing by either shooting down each other or shooting down the most enemies.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026
The French fighters expended at least 80 MICA air-to-air missiles, an expensive and unsustainable way of shooting down relatively inexpensive Iranian drones.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 23 May 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
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
Sean Conlon,lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 9 June 2026
The original Star Fox 64's Versus Mode featured up to four players as different members of Team Star Fox, competing by either shooting down each other or shooting down the most enemies.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026
The French fighters expended at least 80 MICA air-to-air missiles, an expensive and unsustainable way of shooting down relatively inexpensive Iranian drones.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 23 May 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shooting down
Verb
-
The internet absolutely let Clavicular have it, ridiculing the influencer with a barrage of memes.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
North Korea conducted a series of tests last week that state media said involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, while its senior officials issued crude statements ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer relations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As the media fixates on the digital natives known as Gen Z and Gen Alpha — often dismissing them as antisocial and entitled members of society — Saturday’s celebration showed that younger generations might actually have it all under control.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Democrats criticized Republicans for dismissing attempts at meaningful reform.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Anne Hathaway is refuting online speculation over whether she's had a facelift.—
Sharareh Drury,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
-
King’s break with Johnson was not about refuting his historic contributions.—
Mark Conway,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
In Sunday’s video, Bovino implied Mullin was not cut out for the job, mocking his family’s plumbing business.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
-
Counter after counter resulted in Laredo Kid mocking Penta from the second rope.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Those humans had been killing elk for a very long time and may have even followed the elk and bison onto the continent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Anthony, now 19, was accused of killing Metcalf on April 2, 2025, at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
New government wants to unblock frozen EU funds Magyar’s administration is expected to transform political dynamics within the European Union, where the former prime minister had upended the bloc by frequently vetoing key decisions, most recently concerning support for neighboring Ukraine.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
His government is expected to transform political dynamics within the European Union, where the former prime minister had upended the bloc by frequently vetoing key decisions, most recently concerning support for neighboring Ukraine.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
And of course there will always be readers who balk at SF, refusing to countenance that our lived reality is saturated with it, and that the time for earnestly realistic state-of-the-nation novels may have passed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
But Campbell has a point; legally, those trying to ban the Red Raiders from the playoff, or refusing, en masse, to schedule them, could be subject to accusations of collusion.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shooting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shooting%20down. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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