1
as in ridiculing
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 dismissing
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 refuting
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 shooting down
As the rookie in the studio, Kay wasn’t completely comfortable shooting down ideas, yet.
—
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026
Boyington was a flying ace credited with shooting down 28 Japanese aircraft during the war.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026
So far lawmakers haven’t, slowing, softening and then shooting down a bipartisan measure that would have enlisted the state Department of Agriculture to take on the burgeoning pest.
—Mark Dee
march 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
For now, the Gulf states are focused on defense and shooting down the hundreds of drones and missiles being fired at them.
—CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles were seized at the scene.
—Maria Verza, Chicago Tribune, 23 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
What all this boils down to is that even a laser weapon that's already shooting down hostile drones is streets away from one that's officially part of the armory.
—New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2026
Tisdale French's rep is shooting down the theories percolating online.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026
Boyington was a flying ace credited with shooting down 28 Japanese aircraft during the war.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026
So far lawmakers haven’t, slowing, softening and then shooting down a bipartisan measure that would have enlisted the state Department of Agriculture to take on the burgeoning pest.
—Mark Dee
march 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
For now, the Gulf states are focused on defense and shooting down the hundreds of drones and missiles being fired at them.
—CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles were seized at the scene.
—Maria Verza, Chicago Tribune, 23 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
What all this boils down to is that even a laser weapon that's already shooting down hostile drones is streets away from one that's officially part of the armory.
—New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2026
Tisdale French's rep is shooting down the theories percolating online.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shooting down
Verb
-
North Korea also conducted a series of tests last week that state media said involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, while its senior officials issued statements ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer relations.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
-
North Korea conducted a series of tests last week that state media said involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, while its senior officials issued crude statements ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer relations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Federal lawyers said judges made mistakes in dismissing the cases by arguing the Civil Rights Act granted the attorney general access to local voting records.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Quit dismissing them as uneducated.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s not refuting the secrecy.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Amidst the other claims, this one has hit hard at Beast Industries, and the company got quite personal in refuting it.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One side feels mocking people and calling names is OK and not creating hate.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
-
The entertainer gained notoriety on social media in the late 2010s for his sketches mocking niche everyday scenarios.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
On Saturday, Moscow pummeled the central city of Dnipro and other areas for more than twenty hours with barrages of missiles and drones, killing at least seven people.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The coastal Georgia man arrested in 2018 and accused of torturing, killing and burying his two teenage children in the backyard of the family’s mobile home will spend the rest of his life behind bars after reaching a plea deal.—
Adam Van Brimmer,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bass has been aligned with the union on a number of issues, supporting the hiring of more cops, signing off on higher police salaries and vetoing a ballot proposal to let Police Chief Jim McDonnell fire officers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
But vetoing the bill outright, rather than working to refine it, sends the wrong message — and leaves a gaping hole in protections that are urgently needed.—
Elliot Cosgrove,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Each time, Banchero was at the center of it, creating offense, absorbing contact and refusing to let the game slip entirely out of reach.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
His process of doing so involved disparaging his accusers, browbeating people and institutions that no longer wanted to be associated with him, and refusing to accept a path that precluded a return to being a public figure.—
Elizabeth Spiers,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shooting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shooting%20down. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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