shoot
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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shoots,
present (3rd person singular)
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shot,
past participle, past
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shooting
present participle
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to hit, wound, damage, kill, or destroy with a missile discharged from a weapon.
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to execute or put to death with a bullet.
to be shot at sunrise.
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to send forth or discharge (a missile) from a weapon.
to shoot a bullet.
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to discharge (a weapon).
to shoot a gun.
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to send forth (words, ideas, etc.) rapidly.
to shoot questions at someone.
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The volcano shot lava high into the air.
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to direct suddenly or swiftly.
Shoot the spotlight on the doorway. He shot a smile at his wife.
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to move suddenly; send swiftly along.
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to go over (country) in hunting game.
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to pass rapidly through, over, down, etc..
to shoot rapids.
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to emit (a ray or rays, as of light) suddenly, briefly, or intermittently.
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to variegate by threads, streaks, etc., of another color.
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to cause to extend or project.
He shot out his arm and grabbed the ball.
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to discharge or empty, as down a chute.
Do not shoot rubbish here!
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Sports.
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to throw, kick, or otherwise propel (a ball, puck, etc.), as at a goal or teammate.
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to score (a goal, points, etc.) by propelling the ball, puck, etc.
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Games. to propel (a marble) from the crook or first knuckle of the forefinger by flicking with the thumb.
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(in dice games)
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to throw (the dice or a specific number).
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to wager or offer to bet (a sum of money).
I'll shoot ten bucks.
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Photography. to photograph or film.
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to put forth (buds, branches, etc.), as a plant.
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to slide (a bolt or the like) into or out of its fastening.
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to pull (one's cuffs) abruptly toward one's hands.
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Golf. to make a final score of (so many strokes).
He shot a 73 on the first 18 holes of the tournament.
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to take the altitude of (a heavenly body).
to shoot the sun.
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to detonate; cause to explode, as a charge of explosives.
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Aeronautics. to practice (a maneuver) by repetition.
to shoot landings.
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Slang. to inject (an addictive drug) intravenously.
verb (used without object)
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shoots,
present (3rd person singular)
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shot,
past participle, past
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shooting
present participle
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to send forth missiles from a bow, firearm, or the like.
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to be discharged, as a firearm.
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to hunt with a gun for sport.
He fishes, but he doesn't shoot.
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to move or pass suddenly or swiftly; spurt.
The car shot ahead and was soon out of sight.
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Nautical. to acquire momentum and coast into the wind, as a sailboat in a confined area.
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to grow forth from the ground, as a stem.
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to put forth buds or shoots, as a plant; germinate.
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Photography. to photograph.
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Movies. to film or begin to film a scene or movie.
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to extend; jut.
a cape shooting out into the sea.
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Sports, Games.
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to propel a ball, puck, etc., at a goal, basket, pocket, etc., or in a specific direction.
He shot for the green with a five iron.
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to propel a ball in a specific way.
The center shoots left-handed.
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to be felt by or flow through or permeate the body.
Pain shot through his injured arm. Chills shot up and down her spine.
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to carry by force of discharge or momentum.
The missile left its pad and shot thousands of miles into space.
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Informal. to begin, especially to begin to talk.
I want to hear your complaint, so shoot!
noun
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shoots
plural
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the act of shooting with a bow, firearm, etc.
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Chiefly British. a hunting trip or expedition.
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a match or contest at shooting.
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a growing or sprouting, as of a plant.
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a new or young growth that shoots off from some portion of a plant.
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the amount of such growth.
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a young branch, stem, twig, or the like.
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a sprout that is not three feet high.
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a chute.
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Rocketry. the launching of a missile.
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Informal. a photographic assignment or session, as for a feature film or a television commercial.
The actress is away on a shoot.
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Rowing. the interval between strokes.
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Mining.
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a small tunnel branching off from a larger tunnel.
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a narrow vein of ore.
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verb phrase
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shoot up
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to grow rapidly or suddenly.
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Informal. to damage or harass by reckless shooting.
cowboys shooting up the town.
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to wound by shooting.
He shot up the lion, but his guide killed it.
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Slang. to inject an addictive drug intravenously.
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shoot for / at to attempt to obtain or accomplish; strive toward.
He is shooting for a higher production level.
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shoot down
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to cause to fall by hitting with a shot.
They shot down several ducks.
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Informal. to disparage, reject, or expose as false or inadequate; debunk.
to shoot down a popular theory.
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idioms
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shoot the bull. bull.
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shoot one's bolt. bolt.
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shoot off one's mouth / face,
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to talk indiscreetly, especially to reveal confidences, make thoughtless remarks, etc.
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to exaggerate.
He likes to shoot off his mouth about what a great guy he is.
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shoot the breeze. breeze.
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shoot one's wad. wad.
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shoot from the hip, to act or speak without due consideration or deliberation.
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shoot the works. work.
interjection
verb
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(tr) to hit, wound, damage, or kill with a missile discharged from a weapon
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to discharge (a missile or missiles) from a weapon
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to fire (a weapon) or (of a weapon) to be fired
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to send out or be sent out as if from a weapon
he shot questions at her
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(intr) to move very rapidly; dart
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(tr) to slide or push into or out of a fastening
to shoot a bolt
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to emit (a ray of light) or (of a ray of light) to be emitted
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(tr) to go or pass quickly over or through
to shoot rapids
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(intr) to hunt game with a gun for sport
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(tr) to pass over (an area) in hunting game
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to extend or cause to extend; project
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(tr) to discharge down or as if down a chute
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(intr) (of a plant) to produce (buds, branches, etc)
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(intr) (of a seed) to germinate
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to photograph or record (a sequence, subject, etc)
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(tr; usually passive) to variegate or streak, as with colour
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sport to hit or propel (the ball, etc) towards the goal
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(tr) sport to score (points, strokes, etc)
he shot 72 on the first round
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(tr) to plane (a board) to produce a straight edge
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(tr) mining to detonate
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(tr) to measure the altitude of (a celestial body)
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slang (often foll by up) to inject (someone, esp oneself) with (a drug, esp heroin)
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See line 1
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to speak bluntly or impulsively without concern for the consequences
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See bolt 1
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informal to damage one's own cause inadvertently
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slang
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to talk indiscreetly
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to boast or exaggerate
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See breeze 1
noun
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the act of shooting
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the action or motion of something that is shot
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the first aerial part of a plant to develop from a germinating seed
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any new growth of a plant, such as a bud, young branch, etc
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a meeting or party organized for hunting game with guns
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an area or series of coverts and woods where game can be hunted with guns
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a steep descent in a stream; rapid
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informal a photographic assignment
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geology mining a narrow workable vein of ore
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obsolete the reach of a shot
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slang everything
interjection
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shootsimple
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shootssimple
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have shotperfect
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has shotperfect
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am shootingprogressive
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are shootingprogressive
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is shootingprogressive
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have been shootingperfect progressive
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has been shootingperfect progressive
Past
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shotsimple
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had shotperfect
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was shootingprogressive
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were shootingprogressive
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had been shootingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shoot1
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb sheten, sheeten, shoten, Old English scēotan; cognate with Old Frisian skiata, Dutch schieten, Old High German skiozan, German schiessen, Old Norse skjōta; akin to shot 1
Origin of shoot2
An Americanism first recorded in 1890–95; alteration of shit, conformed to shoot 1
Vocabulary lists containing shoot
Loaded Words from the Gun Violence Debate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If everything still looks ready for a glossy farmers market photo shoot, give it another few minutes.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
But Ohtani held back his hands long enough to extend them to the pitch and shoot it through the right side of the infield.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
I’m going to run a little experiment, and people that I would normally shoot an email to with some ideas, I’m just going to cold call them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
She was excited about an advertising campaign she was going to shoot and showed her parents a photo of the cheque she had received as advance remuneration.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
After a while, I begin to shoot, awkwardly, missing more than I ever do.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
To emphasize the ghoulishness, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki shoots the president and his advisors in unflattering low angles with a formaldehyde sheen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Although overall revenue in China has steadily declined over the last two years, dropping 12% in the most recent quarter, Sparks sees green shoots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
But stacking a federal tax credit on top of the newly bolstered California production incentives could help give the state an edge when producers are pricing out location shoots, industry experts say.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Furthermore, if oil shoots up to $125 a barrel, long-end yields, already at 19-year highs, will continue moving higher, said George Catrambone, head of fixed income, Americas, at DWS.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
At the sight of me sitting alone, Lara shoots me a little smirk.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Online video footage shot from the stands shows that the man was standing in front of his seat as the play unfolded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Video shot from a distance shows smoke billowing from them.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Ukraine’s F-16 aces have shot down some 2,500 drones of all types and some 650 cruise missiles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
A Venezuelan citizen shot by a US immigration agent in Texas has been charged with assault and other crimes and faces up to 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
A sliver of unease shot through me as my thoughts turned back to Rachel saying the text had been meant for her.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
The shooting could have been avoided if “the officers were trained differently or better,” Bass said, noting that one of the officers had been on the job for roughly five months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Every four or five days, the cans had to be sent to Mumbai for processing, while the crew carried on shooting without knowing exactly what they had captured.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
There’s the threat itself, which echoes similar ones against HBCUs in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s shooting last September.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
Plus: British Columbia sues OpenAI over mass school shooting and executives flock to New York to tout lowering emissions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Even all those levels up, Zeke could see Pelicarnassus’s eyes shooting rays of hatred at him.
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
