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 Romania first shot down drones this year, marking its first such action since Moscow invaded neighboring Ukraine. — Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026 The first segment of the new season, hosted by Norah O’Donnell, was about a fighter pilot, code-named Bravo, whose plane was shot down over mountains in Iran. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026 As Starlink's speed limits were lowered, Ukraine became incapable of shooting down some Russian drones. — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026 It’s based on the 2023 novel of the same name by Daniel Kraus, who this year won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Angel Down, about American soldiers in World War I who discover an angel who’s been shot down over a battlefield in France. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoot down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down

Verb

Last year, retailer Target was ridiculed across social media for instituting a smiling policy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Cruz has ridiculed Talarico’s past comments on Christianity and immigration, saying the would be more fitting for Berkeley, California, than Texas.

— Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of ridicule

Verb

Bacelar disputed the accusations and said the lawsuit is filled with recycled claims that were previously litigated and dismissed.

— Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Tyreek Hill was also a polarizing receiver who faced a 2014 domestic assault case that was dismissed and a 2019 child abuse probe, though no charges were filed.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

Ramaswamy has also refuted allegations his fortune came from misleading investors.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Others describe the studies necessary to replicate, refute or refine these advances and ensure the necessary scientific rigor to successfully discover and develop new drugs.

— Fred D. Ledley, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of refute

Verb

As proof of how much of a joke this has become for people is that a sketch mocking their drama was part of the October 10 episode of Saturday Night Live UK.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 21 Oct. 2026
There were earlier versions of this story that were openly mocking of Kip, versions that threw Leo under the bus for being too sly; versions that were too overtly political; versions with ghosts that didn’t need to be there, and so on.

— Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of mock

Verb

Support for the populist had eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad.

— JOVANA GEC, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
The military campaign that ensued has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of kill

Verb

To date, eight bills to recognize the tribe have passed both the State Assembly and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, only to be vetoed by Democratic Govs.

— Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
The measures are likely to be vetoed by the conservative president, Karol Nawrocki.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of veto

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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Cite this Entry

Style

“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shoot down

verb

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