shoot down

verb

shot down; shooting down; shoots down

transitive verb

1

: to cause to fall by shooting

shot down the helicopter

especially : to kill in this way

was shot down in cold blood

2

: to put an end to : defeat, reject

shoot down legislation

3

: deflate, ridicule

4

: discredit sense 2

shoot down a theory

Synonyms

• deride
• gibe
• jibe
• jeer
• laugh (at)
• mock
• ridicule
• scout
• skewer

Examples of shoot down in a Sentence

nowadays the aging activist is routinely shot down in most quarters of the media and dismissed as an irrelevant crank

every one of my fund-raising ideas was shot down by the other club members

Recent Examples on the Web

Michelle Monaghan, who plays actress Jaclyn Lemon on the HBO series, recently shot down a popular fan theory about who is responsible for the shooting spree teased in the opening scene of the season. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025

The Houthis have shot down several slower-flying U.S. Air Force drones. —Helene Cooper, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

One of these shot down a Russian helicopter last December, the first ever such kill from a drone boat. —David Hambling, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down five Ukrainian drones over occupied Crimea. —David Brennan, ABC News, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shoot down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown