1
as in ridiculed
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 dismissed
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 refuted
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 shot down
The Ukrainian Air Force said in a Telegram post Saturday morning that Russia overnight had launched 503 projectiles -- 458 drones and 45 missiles -- of which 415 were shot down while the remaining 78 struck 25 different locations across Ukraine.
—
Oleksiy Pshemyskiy, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
Interim athletic director Verge Ausberry has shot down any talk of Nick Saban reuniting with the program, but Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been rumored as a candidate.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
The Kremlin forcefully shot down the rumors on Friday, saying there was no basis to them.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025
In an appearance on Fox News on Thursday morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shot down concerns that the crash was related to the government shutdown.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
However, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic shot down that explanation in his reporting on Bieber's return to Toronto on Tuesday night.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Voters, in a very close decision − only a 58 vote difference − shot down the proposal, according to unofficial results.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025
However, Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief creative officer, made comments to Variety in a story published days earlier that shot down the possibility of such a thing coming together.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
On September 9, Poland shot down Russian drones that had violated its airspace.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Oleksiy Pshemyskiy, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
Interim athletic director Verge Ausberry has shot down any talk of Nick Saban reuniting with the program, but Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been rumored as a candidate.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
The Kremlin forcefully shot down the rumors on Friday, saying there was no basis to them.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025
In an appearance on Fox News on Thursday morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shot down concerns that the crash was related to the government shutdown.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
However, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic shot down that explanation in his reporting on Bieber's return to Toronto on Tuesday night.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Voters, in a very close decision − only a 58 vote difference − shot down the proposal, according to unofficial results.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 5 Nov. 2025
However, Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief creative officer, made comments to Variety in a story published days earlier that shot down the possibility of such a thing coming together.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
On September 9, Poland shot down Russian drones that had violated its airspace.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shot down
Verb
-
The verdict on recent Grier draftees, free agents All of the Dolphins draftees that played Sunday, and almost every Miami player that took the field, were drafted or selected by Grier, who was widely ridiculed for his drafts and free agent signees.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
-
One scathingly ridiculed his political enemies.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The domestic violence case was dismissed and the theft charge had yet to be disputed in court.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Carrie, meanwhile, is villainized for her admittedly deluded quest to reunite with her biological son in a world that has dismissed them.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Trump administration claims that Good attacked or tried to run over ICE agents before the shooting have been refuted by the videos captured during the incident.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The New York Civil Liberties Union refuted Noem’s statements about sanctuary city laws.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Several protesters with megaphones frequently celebrated or mocked the assassination of Charlie Kirk, usually accompanying the taunts with profanity.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Tesla posted its second consecutive sales decline, losing its long‑held electric vehicle crown to a company the billionaire once mocked.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Investigators also found eight 9 mm casings fired from a Glock pistol at the scene where Holmes was killed, according to the affidavit.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Several districts in Kyiv were hit in the attack and an emergency medical aid worker was among those killed, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
By an 11-1 vote, a Miami-Dade County jury originally sentenced him to death, but that sentence was overturned in 2017 after a new state law ruled it unconstitutional for a death sentence to be imposed without a unanimous jury verdict, according to the court records.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Weinstein was found guilty of third-degree rape of Mann in early 2020, but that conviction was overturned in 2024 by a New York state appeals court.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Google, Meta, Microsoft’s LinkedIn, and Elon Musk’s X have all delayed, adjusted, or flat-out refused to launch AI products because of the bloc’s laws.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
-
And the defense refused to yield.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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If Johnston had vetoed any of the amendments, the council would have had an opportunity Monday to consider overriding any of those vetoes, but would have needed a supermajority to do so.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Newsom vetoed a similar, but slightly more expansive, version of the bill in 2024.—
Wire Report,
Mercury News,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shot%20down. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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