SHOOT DOWN Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

shoot down

verb

Definition of shoot down

as in to ridicule

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

as in to dismiss

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

as in to refute

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

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.

Recent Examples of shoot down Some speakers admonished the county commission for shooting down the moratorium proposal. — Gabriel Brito, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 26 Aug. 2026 Don't shoot down other people's ideas without bringing your own. — Bryan West, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 There will soon be a lot of these spread around and shot down by Take-Two as has happened with every GTA 6 leak so far. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 City officials at the time shot down the bid even though it was rated highly by the city administration, and VK LLC sued. — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoot down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down

Verb

Beloved by younger fans who remember the sneaker’s original 2013 release, the style is sometimes ridiculed by purists, but that doesn’t make its inclusion any less valid.

— Riley Jones, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026
Perhaps the biggest challenge is the infrastructure required to ensure there are no major glitches — which have led to ridicule for the company when they’ve been posted to social media.

— Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of ridicule

Verb

On Wednesday, lawyers for Gomez filed a motion to dismiss the artist from the suit, and said she should have never been dragged into the case in the first place.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
El-Sayed dismissed a potential fundraising gap in the race, which could occur if donors were pushed towards Rogers or if outside groups like AIPAC intervened on Rogers’ behalf.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

Her style of rental therapy is to mock, then mend; heckle, then help.

— Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2026
The sources firmly rejected the draft declarations, characterizing them as publicity stunts designed to mock the league, sow division, and draw attention to the topic by demeaning others.

— Wayne Sterling, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of mock

Verb

The portable machine uses pulses of full-spectrum ultraviolet light to kill infectious germs inside hospital rooms.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Clancy is a Massachusetts woman who has been on trial for killing her three children and attempting to take her own life in 2023.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of kill

Verb

The filing accused Thomas of having refused to allow nannies into his house with his daughter, including one assigned by the court, and of using drugs.

— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026
When the district refused to scrap those policies, the agency rescinded the unrelated federal grants.

— Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of refuse

Verb

But bad news continued as a leading ratings agency slashed its outlook for BMW to negative from stable, as analysts wondered if the German manufacturing base might be under threat.

— Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
The move is part of Moody’s broader revision of its outlook for private credit investment vehicles to negative.

— Sharon Klyne, Bloomberg, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of negative

Browse Nearby Words

shoot at

shoot down

shooter

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of shoot down

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

conscientious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes