1
: a battle fought with handguns or rifles
2
: something resembling a shoot-out
broadly : showdown
3
: a shooting competition in overtime that is used to determine the winner of a game (as in soccer or hockey) tied at the end of regular play

Examples of shoot-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But the Tupamaros never came close to seizing power, and in 1970 Mujica was captured after a shoot-out with police in which he was badly wounded. John Otis, NPR, 13 May 2025 Of course, things don’t go as planned on the mission and a series of unfortunate events leads to various precarious situations, betrayals, shoot-outs and daring escapes, all of which get in the way of Murderbot’s screen time. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025 Nothing felt big enough to film the shoot-out in, to crawl through, to be a Gemstone vacation house. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 May 2025 Gunfire erupted, and in the shoot-out, Officer Foerster was hit four times and killed. Eric Shawn, FOXNews.com, 3 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for shoot-out

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoot-out was in 1948

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Cite this Entry

“Shoot-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoot-out. Accessed 18 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

shoot-out

noun
ˈshüt-ˌau̇t
: a battle fought with handguns or rifles
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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