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
-
Speaking of which, when news broke Friday that much of the team’s equipment had been stolen, there was a nearly instantaneous social media ridiculing of the city.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
-
The internet absolutely let Clavicular have it, ridiculing the influencer with a barrage of memes.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
That included dismissing all claims against the Herald defendants and Mayor Wu.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
-
Media covered the story briefly before dismissing it as youthful overreaction or isolated activism.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Two other retired judges later published their own piece refuting Gilliard’s contention.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
14 June 2026
-
Anne Hathaway is refuting online speculation over whether she's had a facelift.—
Sharareh Drury,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Supporters jokingly call themselves unemployed and chronically online, while videos and memes mocking unemployment, corruption and political dysfunction have attracted millions of views.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 June 2026
-
Reese and the Dream played Indiana on Thursday as well, where Reese was caught mocking Clark by flailing around during the stoppage in play.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Tom then explains the actual Trolley Problem, the philosophical debate about having to choose whether to pull a lever that will prevent a runaway trolley from killing multiple people, but will still result in the death of a single person.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
-
But the Israeli military has yet to fully stop hostilities, killing at least four people in separate strikes Tuesday on Lebanon, according to Lebanese state media.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Amid touching on other touchy topics, Xavi also accused Laporta of vetoing Lionel Messi’s proposed 2023 return to the club.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
At the end of the day, Lamont’s record is signing the bills that the top 1% can tolerate, while vetoing the one that gives workers real power at the bargaining table.—
Heather Merrick,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Trump has frequently been at odds with the NBA during his two terms in office, with big stars like Stephen Curry and LeBron James refusing invites during his first term in office.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
In a shocking decision in February, Prasad rejected Moderna’s filing, refusing to even review the vaccine.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shooting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shooting%20down. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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