1
as in ridiculed
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 dismissed
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 refuted
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 shot down
In 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
—
Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
However, so far GOP lawmakers have shot down every Democratic effort to stop the war.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Six months ago, an industrial developer had its rezoning request for a mall-sized warehouse campus shot down by the city of South Fulton after fierce community resistance.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Crow-Armstrong's homer was a two-run shot down the right-field line in the fourth to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
United may have taken the bigger hit after American shot down the notion of merger with its rival, which was reportedly floated by United's CEO last week at the White House.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Hegseth complained that the media hadn’t focused on such aspects of the war as the rescue missions to save two airmen whose plane was shot down in Iran, even though that story was covered extensively.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
However, so far GOP lawmakers have shot down every Democratic effort to stop the war.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Six months ago, an industrial developer had its rezoning request for a mall-sized warehouse campus shot down by the city of South Fulton after fierce community resistance.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Crow-Armstrong's homer was a two-run shot down the right-field line in the fourth to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
United may have taken the bigger hit after American shot down the notion of merger with its rival, which was reportedly floated by United's CEO last week at the White House.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Hegseth complained that the media hadn’t focused on such aspects of the war as the rescue missions to save two airmen whose plane was shot down in Iran, even though that story was covered extensively.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shot down
Verb
-
He’s ostracized, bullied, ridiculed, beaten.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The subject of this engaging biography is the eighteenth-and-nineteenth-century naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who is often ridiculed as a faulty precursor to Darwin.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Red Sox had never fired a manger in-season since John Henry purchased the team in 2002, and throughout the franchise’s existence no manager had ever been dismissed midseason so early in the campaign.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Last year, dozens of experts who provided independent evaluations for biomedical research were dismissed from National Institute of Health science review boards.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Trump refuted those accusations in a heated interview with 60 Minutes host Norah O’Donnell on Sunday.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Pavlovski refuted a claim made by a witness on Monday that McGee and Jenkins had struggled over the gun that was used to shoot Jenkins.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Few people had Tate mocked to go this high, especially if Arvell Reese was going to be on the board.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Sources at the premiere’s after-party speculated about whether Wintour had given her famous friends the heads-up that they were mocked in a movie that all of Conde had come up to support.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The assault killed at least seventeen people, including a twelve-year-old boy, wounded dozens, and destroyed buildings.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Berry was taken from a Fort Lauderdale bowling alley, killed and dumped in a Davie canal.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Statcast measures how many overturned calls a particular team achieves compared to how the average team would fare seeing the same pitches.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
There are so many issues with the DNA evidence in the case that Payne's conviction has been overturned, and a retrial has been ordered.—
Megan De Mar,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Larysa was stuck in Belarus, a country allied with Russia that Nataliia despised and had refused to move to, despite her daughter’s many pleas.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Nuggets refused to engage, declining to respond on the off day.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2022, DeSantis’ office vetoed the congressional map approved by lawmakers.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Unlike the first version of the bill that Kelly vetoed, the second piece of legislation included exemptions that would have allowed local governments to tax new construction and growth without counting against their spending limits.—
Matthew Kelly
Updated April 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shot%20down. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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