shot down

verb

past tense of shoot down
1
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
3
as in refuted
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 shot down But on May 1, 1960, just four years after the U-2’s debut, the Soviet miliary shot down one of the planes, flown by Francis Gary Powers, proving that the US underestimated Soviet capabilities. — Emma Balleste, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 The chopper gets shot down, and Wolverine must fight his way back to reunite with Sabretooth and Mystique, his Team X comrades. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 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 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 One big difference is that FPVs can be shot down, giving troops a chance to save themselves in the last second before impact. — David Hambling, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Then-County Executive Frank White mounted a strong opposition to the tax, which was later shot down by voters. — Ilana Arougheti updated August 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026 Ukraine's air force said on Thursday that Moscow launched 101 drones and four missiles into the country overnight, of which 66 drones were shot down or otherwise suppressed. — David Brennan, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 But things were okay because the Ukrainian army shot down the [rocket]. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shot down
  1. ridiculed
  2. dismissed
  3. refuted
  4. mocked
  5. killed
  6. overturned
  7. refused
  8. vetoed
Verb
  • Many of those names have been ridiculed for their overreliance on throwaway clichés.
    — Andrew Moshirnia, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The move was widely ridiculed in the Pacific Rim nation, where English is already widely used, including in courts and parliament.
    — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of ridiculed
Verb
  • But the fate of Mangione’s state case, set to go to trial next month, now hangs in the balance as his attorneys seek to get second-degree murder and weapons charges dismissed over double jeopardy protections.
    — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • All six defendants initially faced torture charges that were dismissed.
    — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissed
Verb
  • Players from that 1951 side have strongly refuted the story, while the priest at its centre has never been identified.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • The country's health minister, David Kershenobich, refuted the FDA's assertion on July 21.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of refuted
Verb
  • That list includes Kansas City slugger Jac Caglianone, who was mocked to Colorado in some drafts, and has 21 home runs this season.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of mocked
Verb
  • In June, more than 30 people were killed when gunmen attacked the main airport in Niamey.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Two other people were killed in Indiana earlier this week during a powerful derecho.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of killed
Verb
  • But the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned the murder convictions this May and ordered a retrial, saying Colleton County’s then-clerk tainted the first trial with what the defense said was prejudicial comments to the jury.
    — Devon M. Sayers, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Rosenwald family resources helped provide the facilities that made possible the accomplishments of the Tuskegee airmen, and supported NAACP legal efforts that ultimately overturned school segregation.
    — Harold Pollack, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of overturned
Verb
  • Related Articles The union says the museum has refused to negotiate better pay, including time and a half on bank holidays.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • West refused and went to Texas before the baby was born, prompting Paxton to secure a court order saying the baby must receive lifesaving medical care after birth.
    — Nicole Brown Chau, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • 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
  • President John Tyler vetoed Congress’ second attempt to reestablish the Fiscal Bank of the United States.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of vetoed

Browse Nearby Words

shot at
shot down
shotgun
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shot down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shot%20down. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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