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 Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 205 drones overnight into Monday, with 172 shot down or suppressed. — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Israel was prepared to shoot down a FlyDubai plane after the captain was attacked in the cockpit, even with over 150 Israelis on board, two Israeli sources with direct knowledge of the situation told CBS News. — Matt Gutman, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026 The most important change may therefore be less dramatic than the image of a laser beam shooting down a drone. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026 The insurgents continued to focus on raids but also engaged in more extensive operations and terror tactics, such as ZIPRA’s shooting down of civilian airliners in 1978 and ’79. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoot down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down

Verb

That reluctance to expose his central characters and the institution to ridicule is odd given the novel’s account of Ayad’s education as a playwright.

— Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
At the sectarian level, Baptists ridiculed Quakers, Presbyterians oppressed Anabaptists.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of ridicule

Verb

Tinubu was not criminally charged, and the case was dismissed with prejudice after the money was forfeited.

— Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
After a Washtenaw County Court judge dismissed the suit, Shriver refiled the FOIA case in Michigan’s Court of Claims last month.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

According to the Public Defender's Office, officers falsely claimed that Gibson had assaulted them by biting, punching, and wrapping a radio cord around an officer's neck, claims later refuted by video evidence.

— Senior Editor, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
While refuting any suggestion of police repression, Lecornu condemned violence on the margins of protests, which were mostly peaceful Tuesday, despite the dramatic scenes that dominated coverage.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of refute

Verb

Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year that also asked for the 15% average salary window.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
California's governor last week vetoed legislation that would have penalized the use of smart glasses to record people without their permission in places like changing rooms, doctor’s offices and other spaces people generally consider private.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of veto

Verb

Israel, which has refused to cooperate with the commission since it was established in 2021, has strenuously denied the accusations.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
El Sayed acknowledged that both Israel and Iran could cause harm but refused twice to rank one as the greater threat.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 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

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Style

“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shoot down

verb

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