SHOT DOWN Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

shot down

verb

past tense of shoot down

as in ridiculed

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dismissed

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 refuted

to prove to be false the results of several studies shoot down the hypothesis that coffee causes heart attacks

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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 shot down As for ever returning to Los Angeles for production for his shows, Sheridan shot down the idea. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026 The Colorado Supreme Court shot down five ballot measures in all -- three by Democrats and two by Republicans. — Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 30 June 2026 The way Republican candidates for the office are being shot down even before the primary, let alone the election, the need for a viable candidate is urgent. — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 2 July 2026 Forty-eight missiles and 476 drones were shot down or suppressed, but 25 ballistic missiles and 12 drones struck 33 locations. — Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Sergey Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said early on Tuesday that at least 61 Ukrainian drones had been shot down in the capital region overnight. — Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 30 June 2026 However, Spurs general manager Brian Wright shot down that notion Tuesday. — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 24 June 2026 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by Russian separatists with a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 passengers and crew members. — USA Today, 29 June 2026 Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Russian air defenses shot down more than 60 drones after multiple waves of drones were launched towards the Russian capital starting Monday night. — Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shot down

Verb

Multiple hospital stays became fodder for school bullies, who also ridiculed his size.

— Erin Jensen, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Each of these societies deplored and ridiculed the other.

— James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

Definition of ridiculed

Verb

Interviewed following his win on ESPN, the 42-year-old Chestnut dismissed, more or less, the impact of today’s 92 degree New York heat on the proceedings.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 4 July 2026
The nonprofit, which alleged the county violated the Surplus Lands Act by not first exploring affordable-housing development at the site, still has not dismissed its lawsuit.

— Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 4 July 2026

Definition of dismissed

Verb

Wainger also refuted the assertion that Pennel had expected to be arrested.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Reports emerged earlier this year that Beatrice and Eugenie were not invited to Royal Ascot, only to be refuted by subsequent reports claiming that they were invited, after all.

— Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 28 June 2026

Definition of refuted

Verb

Historians estimate that the North American epidemic killed at least 100,000 to 130,000 people over several years.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Wednesday marked one year since an explosion at a Northern California fireworks facility killed seven workers and changed the lives of their families forever.

— Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 2 July 2026

Definition of killed

Verb

At least 16 people have been killed and 20 others injured when a bus transporting passengers to South Africa's Eastern Cape province overturned in the early hours of Thursday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
One notable example came in 2024, when Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes’ red card was overturned by the Football Association of England.

— Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Definition of overturned

Verb

He's refused to sign the bipartisan legislation until Congress passes a voting restrictions bill called the SAVE America Act.

— Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 2 July 2026
But both Mamdani and his police commissioner have repeatedly refused to discuss the nature of the event — angering some nearby business owners and raising questions about the use of public resources to cover private security.

— Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 2 July 2026

Definition of refused

Browse Nearby Words

shot at

shot down

shotgun

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Shot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shot%20down. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shot down

verb

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