SHOOTING DOWN Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

shooting down

verb

present participle of shoot down

as in ridiculing

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

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dismissing

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 refuting

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 shooting down Earlier this week, Russian authorities reported shooting down 791 Ukrainian drones in a single night, one of the largest attacks of the war; more than 600 of them were flying toward the Moscow region, according to the city’s mayor. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Its board of trustees voted to add his name back to the building’s facade, despite a judge shooting down a prior attempt. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 14 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 Whatever the mission type, the winning team is determined by total score, which includes both fulfilling the mission objective and shooting down enemies. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026 In total, Russia launched 88 long-range attack drones and one ballistic missile overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, with air defenses shooting down or jamming 79 of the drones. — ABC News, 22 June 2026 Jordan reported shooting down a drone on Wednesday. — Reuters, NBC news, 20 May 2026 Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed an effort to extend the pre-eviction filing notice period by 15 days, weeks after shooting down a similar measure that would have extended the period by 30 days. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 1 May 2026 As the rookie in the studio, Kay wasn’t completely comfortable shooting down ideas, yet. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shooting down

Verb

The blogger has been on a years-long apology tour after relentlessly ridiculing celebrities in the 2000s.

— Ethan Beck, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2026
Trump hailed Bray’s announcement in a Truth Social post ridiculing the Indiana Senate leader.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 31 July 2026

Definition of ridiculing

Verb

Petersen allegedly deferred to a male sergeant’s expertise on topics including firearms and internal affairs while dismissing Kennon’s expertise in other areas.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
With the commander-in-chief and defense secretary now dismissing those reports as false, Congress should require a bipartisan committee of former military members to visit the ship.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismissing

Verb

So thankful to Alabama Athletics for refuting it on my behalf.

— CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center and the artist Olalekan Jeyifous are refuting accusations by some museum visitors that his work was made using generative AI, reports MPR News.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of refuting

Verb

These included Mao Zedong of China and Kim Il Sung of North Korea, as well as one mocking Ho Chi Minh, the father of Vietnam’s communist revolution.

— Sopheng Cheang, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
On Douban, a popular Chinese movie-review platform, viewers piled on with mocking and bewildered comments.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of mocking

Verb

Such attacks are common in Nigeria, where multiple armed groups operate, killing and kidnapping people for ransom.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Plane crash in Alaska A charter plane carrying eight people crashed near a remote radar site in western Alaska, killing everyone on board.

— Irene Byon, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of killing

Verb

But even if the bill passes both chambers, the White House earlier said that the President’s advisers would recommend vetoing it.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 27 July 2026
But vetoing the bill could have been politically damaging for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, with the rising cost of living and housing on the top of voters' minds.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 11 July 2026

Definition of vetoing

Verb

Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Larkin, whose grassroots campaign made national headlines in recent weeks, often criticized Moskowitz for refusing to debate him or participate in joint interviews with local news organizations.

— Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of refusing

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shooting at

shooting down

shootings

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“Shooting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shooting%20down. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of shooting down

verb

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