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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
-
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
-
This is when a parent kills their child during a state of psychosis or hallucinating.— Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
-
Humidity usually kills static electricity – but not in every case.— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
In an odd twist, ESPN’s Matt Miller mocks Joly to Denver with the 111th pick — which is the fourth-rounder that Miami dealt to the Broncos in the Jaylen Waddle deal that netted the Dolphins picks in the first, third and fourth rounds.— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
-
This seems like a reach, but many mocks now have Cooper, previously considered a second-round pick, going to the Jets in the middle of the first round.— Michael Salfino, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If Erdos dismisses the lawsuit on account of arbitration, that will mean the dispute leaves the public court system and continues in arbitration, which is private and subject to confidentiality provisions.— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2026
-
Descovich dismisses the criticism.— Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That ire has only grown as Takaichi repeatedly refuses to walk back her position, and scooped up a historic victory in a snap election because of it.— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
-
But what elevates the play into something truly great is that Lindsay-Abaire refuses to make Elliott a conventional villain.— Brent Lang, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Birdville downs rival Richland Matthew Moore allowed 1 earned run while scattering 2 hits across 5 innings to lead North Richland Hills Birdville past North Richland Hills Richland 3-2 in a District 6-5A showdown on Tuesday night at Richland High School.— Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
-
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.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/shoots%20down. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
