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
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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
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Though Claudius ridicules Hamlet for his emotional vulnerability, his grief drives him to avenge his father and emerge as a hero.—
Jeanette Tran,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Vaccines against malaria, a disease that kills more than 400,000 people annually, most of them children under five in Africa, are now being introduced in 25 countries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
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He’s considered a two-way winger, kills penalties and can play the net front on the power play.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Heuermann's ex-wife refutes wrongful death lawsuit Heuermann's ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and her daughter with Heuermann have been named in a wrongful death lawsuit that was brought by the son of victim Valerie Mack.—
Jeff Capellini,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Washington has boosted claims that attacks on Nigerian Christians by militants constitute genocide — a characterization the Nigerian government strongly refutes.—
Adrian Elimian,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In an odd twist, ESPN’s Matt Miller mocks Joly to Denver with the 111th pick — which is the fourth-rounder that Miami dealt to the Broncos in the Jaylen Waddle deal that netted the Dolphins picks in the first, third and fourth rounds.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
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This seems like a reach, but many mocks now have Cooper, previously considered a second-round pick, going to the Jets in the middle of the first round.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If Erdos dismisses the lawsuit on account of arbitration, that will mean the dispute leaves the public court system and continues in arbitration, which is private and subject to confidentiality provisions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 Apr. 2026
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Descovich dismisses the criticism.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And Avery refuses to let that happen.—
Ryan Wilusz,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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But the porch light, with only one working bulb, refuses to show us the perfect curves of her aloneness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The bill will become law unless the governor vetoes it.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
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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
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Birdville downs rival Richland Matthew Moore allowed 1 earned run while scattering 2 hits across 5 innings to lead North Richland Hills Birdville past North Richland Hills Richland 3-2 in a District 6-5A showdown on Tuesday night at Richland High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoots down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoots%20down. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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