shooting

noun

shoot·​ing ˈshü-tiŋ 

plural shootings

1

: the act of shooting a gun

But shooting is many a man's choice, especially up at the great hunting clubs like Choctaw Bluff …

—Harriet de Rosišre

2

: an instance of gun violence directed toward a person or group of people

a drive-by shooting

mass shootings

… a clutch of outspoken student activists flipped the national script on school shootings in America.

—Dahlia Lithwick

3

: the act of photographing or filming someone or something

A large fan specially designed to create the effect of wind during shooting.

—Ira Konigsberg

That part of filmmaking that comes immediately after the shooting is completed …

—Ira Konigsberg

Examples of shooting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That year, the city had devolved into a gang war with multiple shootings related to gang violence, according to multiple reports. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2025

Tech was led by Bailey Maupin who had 22 points and seven rebounds, but what was most impressive was the Lady Raiders kept the Utes to just 39.3% field goal shooting and 28.6% from beyond the arc for the day to advance to the quarterfinals. —Allison Smith, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting. —Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025

Long also had a strong showing with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shooting

• go shooting
• hip-shooting
• shooting gallery
• shooting guard
• shooting iron
• shooting script
• shooting star
• shooting stick
• skeet shooting
• the whole shooting match
• wing shooting

Rhymes for shooting

• booting
• fluting
• fruiting
• hooting
• looting
• muting
• rooting
• scooting
• suiting
• tooting
• commuting
• computing

Medical Definition

shooting

adjective

shoot·​ing

: characterized by sudden sharp piercing sensations

shooting pains