1
as in to ridicule
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 to dismiss
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 to refute
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
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Recent Examples of shoot down
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Russian air defenses shot down more than 60 drones after multiple waves of drones were launched towards the Russian capital starting Monday night.
—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
Sergey Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said early on Tuesday that at least 61 Ukrainian drones had been shot down in the capital region overnight.
—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
30 June 2026
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by Russian separatists with a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 passengers and crew members.
—
USA Today,
29 June 2026
As for ever returning to Los Angeles for production for his shows, Sheridan shot down the idea.
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
Sergey Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said early on Tuesday that at least 61 Ukrainian drones had been shot down in the capital region overnight.
—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
30 June 2026
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by Russian separatists with a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 passengers and crew members.
—
USA Today,
29 June 2026
As for ever returning to Los Angeles for production for his shows, Sheridan shot down the idea.
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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For example, 'Blazing Saddles' and 'All in the Family' confronted bigotry by ridiculing prejudice.
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Multiple hospital stays became fodder for school bullies, who also ridiculed his size.
Verb
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In April, the Superior Court dismissed the three citations Hubbard received in May 2025 when no park ranger or city attorney appeared for the prosecution, his lawsuit states.
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Freeney did not dismiss the business side of the arrangement.
Verb
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Two other retired judges later published their own piece refuting Gilliard’s contention.
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Fortunately, video replay allows people to validate—or refute—a referee’s decision.
Verb
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In the weeks leading up to the June 26 release of the film, men mocked 26-year-old Alcock’s appearance across social media.
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Each sketch was packed with mocking details, such as long red ties, Big Macs and lots and lots of gold, to drive home her point.
Verb
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The mother of a man killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike in Manhattan is demanding justice for her son.
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The one-two punch wreaked massive destruction throughout the region, killing at least 235 and wounding more than 4,300.
Verb
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Suggestions are floated and swiftly vetoed (Symi—too far, Spetses—too posh), and then inspiration strikes.
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The housing bill, formally called the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, can still become law if Trump neither signs it nor vetoes it in 10 days, excluding Sundays.
Verb
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Wurth saw two more physicians who refused to discuss hormones before a urologist started her on estrogen gel, oral progesterone and a vaginal estrogen cream.
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The man had a gun and refused to drop it when ordered to by police, the sheriff said.
Verb
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But bad news continued as a leading ratings agency slashed its outlook for BMW to negative from stable, as analysts wondered if the German manufacturing base might be under threat.
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The move is part of Moody’s broader revision of its outlook for private credit investment vehicles to negative.
Cite this Entry
“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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