1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
3
as in refutes
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 shoots down
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
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
-
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
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Back in their teenage years, Lexi’s older sister Andrea is depicted as a mean girl who ridicules Catherine mercilessly.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Originally, Shorty was out in the front yard for the very final moment, and the runaway rollercoaster from the beginning crashes into him and kills him.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
-
That extra molecule, according to the Cleveland Clinic, kills bacteria and removes stains.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
Verb
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There is extensive evidence — including Slack and WhatsApp messages, company documents, and witness testimony — that unequivocally refutes her claims.—
Stacy Perman,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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The woman vehemently refutes those claims to ABC News, and claims Aaron knew about her personal history, including marital status.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The group openly mocks Jesus Christ and many Christian and Catholic traditions.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
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Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is demanding all copies of Unethical Hoops, a new Operation-style board game that mocks his foul-drawing reputation, be destroyed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Bisignano dismisses the criticism.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
-
Steve dismisses the idea, but Alice is already playing wing-woman.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Walk away from any firm that promises full removal of true and lawful content, offers to buy fake reviews, refuses to disclose its methods, demands long lock-in contracts without performance terms, or cannot point to verifiable third-party recognition.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
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But Ruth refuses to go quietly into the dark-and-stormy night.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The bill will become law unless the governor vetoes it.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
If Duggan vetoes the ordinance, the council would have a week from the receipt of the veto to override it with a two-thirds majority vote — meaning at least six of the nine council members.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Springtown takes edge in 7-4A race, downs Decatur Springtown got the inside track on the District 7-4A championship after beating Decatur 4-2 in 8 innings on Monday night at Decatur High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Apr. 2026
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Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoots down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoots%20down. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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