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
-
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
-
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
-
OpenAI kills Sora Talk about a script change.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The team realized that radiation kills chips by trapping electrical charges in transistors’ insulating layers.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
24 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
-
Generally speaking, Normand playfully mocks all sorts of different groups rather equally.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Its leader, the president, abuses power, hurts the innocent, and mocks the dead before their families have even begun to grieve.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Henry immediately dismisses his class.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Luari dismisses that speculation, saying her problems are not tied to her rapid expansion, but rather uncontrollable financial setbacks.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At least, that’s what some people are saying, in a photographic meme that’s been spreading around the internet for years and refuses to die.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Nothing is quite as annoying as a brand that refuses to adjust its fits to curvy bodies—but that’s not an issue here.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
24 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 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
