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
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
The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoots down
Verb
-
Wednesday ridicules Pugsley for making a zombie.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Of course, Arness finally out wits and kills him, but meanwhile there’s lots of good western style entertainment.—
Hal Landers,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
-
This makes the relationship somewhat of a ticking time bomb, as resentment from sacrificing — or being put in the position of always being sacrificed for — kills love and authentic connection.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Yet Superman's entire story refutes this zero-sum thinking.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This is why Dijon’s language works best as sound, not narrative—his rangy, raspy voice seethes and triumphs, mocks and threatens; there’s no world in which his polygonal perspective can be discerned from a lyric sheet.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
16 Aug. 2025
-
After being told that Dawn is dead, Gaal mocks Demerzel for pretending to grieve, which angers the robot.—
Rafael Motamayor,
Vulture,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Ashton also dismisses the concerns that a three-year degree lacks the many electives and opportunities for self-discovery.—
Bryan Penprase,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
Trump's approach dismisses collective security and weakens NATO's cohesion.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Although many philosophers and theologians accept mortality as an inevitable and indeed defining feature of human existence, Kurzweil refuses to accept this line of thinking.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Dusk refuses, choosing ruin instead.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share