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 Dozens of Russian drone incursions into Romanian airspace have occasionally caused damage and forced Romania to respond with costly fighter jet interceptions to shoot down some of the wayward drones. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026 Ukraine's air defenses shot down around 5,300 drones and missiles last month, Ukraine's defense ministry said Friday, just under 60% of the around 9,000 attack drones and missiles Russia fired in the same period. — Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, Ukraine has already augmented its air defenses around Odesa and other ports, with videos showing aircraft, including an F-16 and a Yak-52, shooting down Geran-4s. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 In June, two NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered the Latvia's airspace, while the two other Baltic states, Estonia and Lithuania, which all share a border with Russia, reported drones crashing in their territory. — CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoot down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoot down

Verb

Many of those names have been ridiculed for their overreliance on throwaway clichés.

— Andrew Moshirnia, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026
The blogger has been on a years-long apology tour after relentlessly ridiculing celebrities in the 2000s.

— Ethan Beck, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of ridicule

Verb

But by the time of his indictment, Lorch was in failing health and found incompetent to stand trial, and lawsuits against him and the church were dismissed due to statute of limitations issues.

— Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 13 Aug. 2026
The lawsuit was dismissed Monday without prejudice, meaning the case may be filed again.

— Riley Moser, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

Vorbe, his family and lawyers vehemently refute the accusation.

— Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
Fauci’s decision to shield himself by staying silent gave Republicans free rein to attack him and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic without anyone to refute their statements.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 29 July 2026

Definition of refute

Verb

During the 2024 postseason, Carrington struck Clark directly in the eye, leaving the league's signature star with a visible black eye, then mocked the ensuing public outrage online.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
He was criticized for outing LGBTQ+ stars who hadn’t revealed their sexuality publicly, and for bullying others by mocking their misfortune.

— Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of mock

Verb

Attacks on Wildberries’ warehouses last month killed at least eight people in a single day which, up until Monday’s strike on Nizhnekamsk, was the deadliest Ukrainian attack inside Russia.

— Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Alicent, not at all her friend in the book, is chained up and not sent off on some silly assassination attempt to kill her son, Aemond.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of kill

Verb

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose administration has pursued a more environmentally focused agenda, vetoed some measures outright and parts of others.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Here in California, Democratic governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom both vetoed bills to allow general law cities to adopt RCV.

— Paul Haughey, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of veto

Verb

But the other main parties called it a stunt and refused to take part, leaving Farage running against an assortment of independents, jokers and single-issue candidates led by Count Binface, a comic space alien with a trash can on his head.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Despite this, Miller has refused to drop out, holding out past the Monday deadline for Ohio Republicans to nominate a new candidate.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 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

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Style

“Shoot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoot%20down. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of shoot down

verb

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