shoot down
verb
shot down; shooting down; shoots down
1
: to cause to fall by shooting
shot down the helicopter
especially
: to kill in this way
was shot down in cold blood
4
: discredit sense 2
shoot down a theory
Examples of shoot down in a Sentence
nowadays the aging activist is routinely shot down in most quarters of the media and dismissed as an irrelevant crank
every one of my fund-raising ideas was shot down by the other club members
Recent Examples on the Web
His arms shot down; the Arkestra cut to hush; the hall tremored with complicated silence.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
While initial reports indicated the technology, including high-energy lasers, was used to shoot down cartel drones, the target could have been party balloons outside of El Paso.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, stemmed from the Pentagon’s plans to test a laser for use in shooting down drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to three people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to share sensitive details.
—Seung Min Kim, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 129 drones into Ukraine overnight into Wednesday morning, of which 112 were shot down or suppressed.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
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Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
While initial reports indicated the technology, including high-energy lasers, was used to shoot down cartel drones, the target could have been party balloons outside of El Paso.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, stemmed from the Pentagon’s plans to test a laser for use in shooting down drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to three people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to share sensitive details.
—Seung Min Kim, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 129 drones into Ukraine overnight into Wednesday morning, of which 112 were shot down or suppressed.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Cite this Entry
“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoot%20down. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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