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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shoot down
Polish jets shot down at least three of the aircraft.
—
George Petras, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
On Wednesday, Poland confirmed that 19 Russian drones crossed its borders, four of which were shot down with NATO help.
—David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Russia also appears to have upped the ante dramatically by sending at least 19 drones into Poland last night, some of which were shot down by NATO forces.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
Poland's military reported shooting down multiple unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs) early on September 10, following what officials described as a violation of national airspace.
—Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
George Petras, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
On Wednesday, Poland confirmed that 19 Russian drones crossed its borders, four of which were shot down with NATO help.
—David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Russia also appears to have upped the ante dramatically by sending at least 19 drones into Poland last night, some of which were shot down by NATO forces.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
Poland's military reported shooting down multiple unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs) early on September 10, following what officials described as a violation of national airspace.
—Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoot down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down
Verb
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His sophomore slump was ridiculed as his completion percentage dropped and his interception percentage rose.—
Aaron Heisen,
Oc Register,
8 Sep. 2025
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Wednesday ridicules Pugsley for making a zombie.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This adds to anticipation over whether the judge will decide that the case can proceed in Delaware and if dismissed, will the Macrons appeal or refile elsewhere.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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In court filings, Burnell has argued the council lacks the legal basis to sue and asked for the claims to be dismissed.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Szymon Laks, conductor of one of several male orchestras at Auschwitz-Birkenau, vehemently refuted the notion that music was helpful to anyone in the camp.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
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Ghana’s officials refuted the claims of the lawyers, saying the individuals were returned to their home nations.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many on the right have reacted strongly to those perceived to be celebrating or mocking Kirk's death, calling for consequences such as losing their jobs or in Omar's case, being censured.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Comedy Central responded to Kirk’s killing by pulling the episode mocking him from its regular rotation.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Utah police on Friday arrested Tyler Robinson for allegedly killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, although his potential motive remains hazy.—
Claire Cameron,
semafor.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Key Background Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was killed in an unprovoked attack on a commuter rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Two of the council’s five permanent members, the two nations have the power to veto the resolution.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
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At the end of a nearly three-hour meeting, Mayor Tyrone Garner vetoed each budget.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional the line-item veto in 1998, by which former President Bill Clinton unilaterally refused to spend money appropriated for particular purposes.—
Kevin R. Kosar,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
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In June, the Democratic group of senators accused the Department of Education of refusing to comply with Warren's monthslong congressional investigation into what, if any, records have been accessed by DOGE employees that could be sensitive.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In April, Moody’s revised the rating outlook for Thailand to negative from stable, flagging rising political uncertainty and sustained growth weakness.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
1 Sep. 2025
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On the way to scoring a 25-19, 25-9, 25-4 victory, UW was not blocked once, held the Bobcats to negative hitting in each set and in the final set tied a program record for fewest points allowed in a set.—
Mark Stewart,
Journal Sentinel,
2 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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