1
as in ridicules
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 kills
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 refutes
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoots down
And in the comments of her introductory video, her team shoots down every plausible guess.
—
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
The powerful big tech lobby shoots down any law remotely alludes to testing and regulating AI machines.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
The powerful big tech lobby shoots down any law remotely alludes to testing and regulating AI machines.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoots down
Verb
-
Back in their teenage years, Lexi’s older sister Andrea is depicted as a mean girl who ridicules Catherine mercilessly.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Then there’s the loud kind, where the audience openly ridicules you.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Displaying superhuman strength, Frank kills them both, in front of shocked witnesses.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Excessive vinegar in this mix all but kills the key flavor ingredients.—
Jolene Thym,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Browsh refutes the idea the NFL chose Bad Bunny as a political stunt.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Data consistently refutes the idea that theaters and streaming are in a zero-sum battle for different audiences.—
Joseph M. Singer,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Today, reality mocks the dream.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The worst thing Isabella does to Cathy is murder the doll version of her after Cathy mocks her feelings for Heathcliff.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Klobuchar plans to introduce new legislation that could help bolster disclosure requirements about the circumstances surrounding settlements, and give states more power to intervene, review, and continue cases the DOJ voluntarily dismisses.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Of course, that argument dismisses the eyeball test.—
Kirk Bohls,
Houston Chronicle,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Cutting Through Rocks is an intimate portrait of Shahverdi's fight for women's rights in a patriarchal society that refuses to acknowledge their right to exist safely and independently.—
Davi Merchan,
NPR,
4 Mar. 2026
-
At the same time, his office refuses to answer questions about the probe.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The bill will become law unless the governor vetoes it.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
If Duggan vetoes the ordinance, the council would have a week from the receipt of the veto to override it with a two-thirds majority vote — meaning at least six of the nine council members.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
But Sarah Graves gives a bit too much room and Penn downs a 3-pointeron the wing.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoots down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoots%20down. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
