Phrase guide

shoot down

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To cause to fall by shooting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The carnival game involved shooting down tin cans.
  • My grandfather shot down several fighter planes in the war.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To criticize (a request) to the point of preclusion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, transitive

Examples

  • Every proposal I made was shot down at once.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

shoot at and force to come down

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the enemy landed several of our aircraft

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: down, land

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

move quickly and violently

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The car tore down the street
  • He came charging into my office

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tear, shoot, charge, buck

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rush, hotfoot, hasten, hie, speed, race, pelt along, rush along, cannonball along, bucket along, belt along, step on it

Narrower terms: rip

5

verb

Meaning 5

thwart the passage of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • kill a motion
  • he shot down the student's proposal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: kill, defeat, vote down, vote out

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: veto, blackball, negative

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: խոցել (xocʻel) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Belarusian: збіва́ць (zbivácʹ) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Belarusian: збіць (zbicʹ) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擊落 /击落 (jīluò) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Czech: sestřelit — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Dutch: neerhalen — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Finnish: ampua alas — to cause to fall by shooting
  • French: abattre — to cause to fall by shooting
  • German: niederschießen — to cause to fall by shooting
  • German: abschießen — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Greek: καταρρίπτω (katarrípto) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Ido: fusilagar — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Italian: abbattere — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Japanese: 撃ち落とす (uchiotosu) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Japanese: 撃墜 (gekitsui) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Khmer: បាញ់ធ្លាក់ (baɲ tleak) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Malay: menembak jatuh — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Polish: zestrzeliwać — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Polish: zestrzelić — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Portuguese: abater — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Portuguese: derrubar — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Romagnol: abàtar — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Romanian: doborî — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Russian: сбива́ть (sbivátʹ) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Russian: сбить (sbitʹ) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Spanish: derribar — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Spanish: abatir — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Swahili: dungua — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Ukrainian: збива́ти (zbyváty) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Ukrainian: зби́ти (zbýty) — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Vietnamese: bắn trúng — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Vietnamese: bắn hạ — to cause to fall by shooting
  • Yiddish: אונטערשיסן (untershisn) — to cause to fall by shooting