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
-
Then there’s the loud kind, where the audience openly ridicules you.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Wednesday ridicules Pugsley for making a zombie.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Echinacea is not an antibiotic that directly kills pathogens.—
Ayesha Gulzar,
Verywell Health,
17 Oct. 2025
-
That starts a chain reaction of polymerization that ultimately kills the cell.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ex-contractor likens Gaza aid effort to 'The Hunger Games,' former employer refutes claims One meal a day.—
Gram Slattery,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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However, in a blog on the topic, the NPS refutes the idea that one park is more deadly than any other.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The exchange mocks our urge to impose order on the messiness of narrative.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Elon Musk wades back into UK politics, backs leader of new right-wing party, mocks rival.—
,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Each side dismisses the other's contention.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Trump dismisses Republican mayoral hopeful as Giuliani allies support Cuomo.—
,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a world of cynicism, Logano refuses to fall in line.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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Hold on to the laughter, hold on to the sparkle, hold on to that spark deep inside that refuses to go out.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Yet an administrator vetoes the plan, and the meeting’s start is uncaffeinated.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In between questions about Nineties cultural touchstones like Friends, Space Jam, Beavis and Butthead, the Spice Girls, and Sir-Mix-A-Lot — during which Kravitz racks up a lot of points and Butler downs a lot of shots — the pair also discusses working on Caught Stealing.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoots down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoots%20down. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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