SHOOTS DOWN Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

shoots down

verb

present tense third-person singular of shoot down

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

as in refutes

to prove to be false the results of several studies shoot down the hypothesis that coffee causes heart attacks

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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 In the movie, Russia shoots down a defunct satellite and creates a cloud of debris, leading to serious tension in orbit. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026 Speculation soon followed that this effort was in response to the aforementioned test audience confusion, but Cronin shoots down that notion about the last-minute social media campaign. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoots down

Verb

Fiction and reality braid in clever ways as Highsmith ridicules her visitor and is inspired by him, imagining a sinister plot (which could in fact be real).

— Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of ridicules

Verb

Its bubbling action lifts dirt, kills bacteria, and removes mold and mildew without harsh fumes.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2026
Lizzie subsequently kills Manchester with a hatchet, with Maggie present, before the pair turn their attention to Andrew and Abby.

— Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of kills

Verb

The Mad King, however, refutes the legitimacy of any kind of prophecy, even going so far to reject the notion of destiny.

— Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Speaking with the Courant, Moscowitz refutes that there was ever a formal meeting involving him or his investigators and Isa Abdus-Sabur.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of refutes

Verb

And finally, another one of Wang’s creations mocks Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine’s infamously cringe sexts by showing the pop star losing his mind to a picture of Jolly’s derriere in an Instagram DM.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 Sep. 2026
Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.

— Darlene Superville, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of mocks

Verb

If your team is afraid to name real weaknesses, or if leadership dismisses uncomfortable truths, the analysis won’t do what it’s meant to do.

— Nancy Padberg, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Risks, but not existential ones Not everyone dismisses the risk quite so bluntly, though.

— Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of dismisses

Verb

The White House is likely to play hardball if confronted with investigations, and Democrats are bracing for an administration that potentially ignores subpoenas or refuses to turn over paperwork that lawmakers are demanding.

— Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
Throughout the film, Agent Miller refuses to abandon the investigation, even after being discouraged from following the case by her superiors who felt as though there wasn’t enough evidence pointing to Kaczynski.

— Jane LaCroix, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of refuses

Verb

If Newsom vetoes the bill, the legislature could decide to hold another vote to override the veto.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
At midnight the housing bill, hailed as the most substantial legislation on housing in decades, will become law, unless Trump reverses course and signs it sooner or vetoes it.

— Jack Harvel July 10, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

Definition of vetoes

Verb

Both teams had ups and downs (mostly downs for the Browns) but Ohio State was always a much better, and much more fun atmosphere.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Nearly everyone rides a stationary bike — high tension, low speed — after a match and quickly downs a protein recovery drink.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of downs

Browse Nearby Words

shoots at

shoots down

shoots the breeze

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Shoots down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoots%20down. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shoots down

verb

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