shoot

¹

[ shoot ]

verb (used with object)

, shot, shoot·ing.

1. to hit, wound, damage, kill, or destroy with a missile discharged from a weapon.

   Synonyms: pop, plug, wound, hit, gun, drop, blow away, pick off, mow down, cut down, bring down

2. to execute or put to death with a bullet:

   to be shot at sunrise.

3. to send forth or discharge (a missile) from a weapon:

   to shoot a bullet.

   Synonyms: loose, fire, discharge, blast

4. to discharge (a weapon):

   to shoot a gun.

5. to send forth (words, ideas, etc.) rapidly:

   to shoot questions at someone.

   Synonyms: fire away, discharge

6. to fling; propel:

   The volcano shot lava high into the air.

   Synonyms: vent, throw, hurl, fling, cast

7. to direct suddenly or swiftly:

   Shoot the spotlight on the doorway. He shot a smile at his wife.

8. to move suddenly; send swiftly along.
9. to go over (country) in hunting game.
10. to pass rapidly through, over, down, etc.:

    to shoot rapids.

11. to emit (a ray or rays, as of light) suddenly, briefly, or intermittently.
12. to variegate by threads, streaks, etc., of another color.
13. to cause to extend or project:

    He shot out his arm and grabbed the ball.

14. to discharge or empty, as down a chute:

    Do not shoot rubbish here!

15. Sports.
    1. to throw, kick, or otherwise propel (a ball, puck, etc.), as at a goal or teammate.
    2. to score (a goal, points, etc.) by propelling the ball, puck, etc.
16. Games. to propel (a marble) from the crook or first knuckle of the forefinger by flicking with the thumb.
17. (in dice games)
    1. to throw (the dice or a specific number).
    2. to wager or offer to bet (a sum of money):

       I'll shoot ten bucks.

18. Photography. to photograph or film.
19. to put forth (buds, branches, etc.), as a plant.
20. to slide (a bolt or the like) into or out of its fastening.
21. to pull (one's cuffs) abruptly toward one's hands.
22. Golf. to make a final score of (so many strokes):

    He shot a 73 on the first 18 holes of the tournament.

23. to take the altitude of (a heavenly body):

    to shoot the sun.

24. to detonate; cause to explode, as a charge of explosives.
25. Aeronautics. to practice (a maneuver) by repetition:

    to shoot landings.

26. Slang. to inject (an addictive drug) intravenously.

verb (used without object)

, shot, shoot·ing.

1. to send forth missiles from a bow, firearm, or the like.
2. to be discharged, as a firearm.
3. to hunt with a gun for sport:

   He fishes, but he doesn't shoot.

4. to move or pass suddenly or swiftly; spurt:

   The car shot ahead and was soon out of sight.

   Synonyms: zip, scoot, hotfoot, bomb, barrel, speed, scurry, rush, race, jet, hustle, hurtle, hurry, hasten, career, careen, bustle, bowl, fly, bolt, dash, dart, start, spring

5. Nautical. to acquire momentum and coast into the wind, as a sailboat in a confined area.
6. to grow forth from the ground, as a stem.
7. to put forth buds or shoots, as a plant; germinate.
8. Photography. to photograph.
9. Movies. to film or begin to film a scene or movie.
10. to extend; jut:

    a cape shooting out into the sea.

    Synonyms: twig, sprout, sprig, branchlet, protrude, project

11. Sports, Games.
    1. 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.

    2. to propel a ball in a specific way:

       The center shoots left-handed.

12. to be felt by or flow through or permeate the body:

    Pain shot through his injured arm. Chills shot up and down her spine.

13. to carry by force of discharge or momentum:

    The missile left its pad and shot thousands of miles into space.

14. Informal. to begin, especially to begin to talk:

    I want to hear your complaint, so shoot!

noun

1. the act of shooting with a bow, firearm, etc.
2. Chiefly British. a hunting trip or expedition.
3. a match or contest at shooting.
4. a growing or sprouting, as of a plant.
5. a new or young growth that shoots off from some portion of a plant.
6. the amount of such growth.
7. a young branch, stem, twig, or the like.
8. a sprout that is not three feet high.
9. a chute.
10. Rocketry. the launching of a missile.
11. Informal. a photographic assignment or session, as for a feature film or a television commercial:

    The actress is away on a shoot.

12. Rowing. the interval between strokes.
13. Mining.
    1. a small tunnel branching off from a larger tunnel.
    2. a narrow vein of ore.

verb phrase

1. 1. to grow rapidly or suddenly.
   2. Informal. to damage or harass by reckless shooting:

      cowboys shooting up the town.

   3. to wound by shooting:

      He shot up the lion, but his guide killed it.

   4. Slang. to inject an addictive drug intravenously.
2. 1. to cause to fall by hitting with a shot:

      They shot down several ducks.

   2. Informal. to disparage, reject, or expose as false or inadequate; debunk:

      to shoot down a popular theory.

3. to attempt to obtain or accomplish; strive toward:

   He is shooting for a higher production level.

shoot

²

[ shoot ]

interjection

1. (used to express irritation or astonishment.)

shoot

/ ʃuːt /

verb

1. tr to hit, wound, damage, or kill with a missile discharged from a weapon
2. to discharge (a missile or missiles) from a weapon
3. to fire (a weapon) or (of a weapon) to be fired
4. to send out or be sent out as if from a weapon

   he shot questions at her

5. intr to move very rapidly; dart
6. tr to slide or push into or out of a fastening

   to shoot a bolt

7. to emit (a ray of light) or (of a ray of light) to be emitted
8. tr to go or pass quickly over or through

   to shoot rapids

9. intr to hunt game with a gun for sport
10. tr to pass over (an area) in hunting game
11. to extend or cause to extend; project
12. tr to discharge down or as if down a chute
13. intr (of a plant) to produce (buds, branches, etc)
14. intr (of a seed) to germinate
15. to photograph or record (a sequence, subject, etc)
16. tr; usually passive to variegate or streak, as with colour
17. sport to hit or propel (the ball, etc) towards the goal
18. tr sport to score (points, strokes, etc)

    he shot 72 on the first round

19. tr to plane (a board) to produce a straight edge
20. tr mining to detonate
21. tr to measure the altitude of (a celestial body)
22. slang.
    often foll by up to inject (someone, esp oneself) with (a drug, esp heroin)
23. See line
    shoot a line
    shoot a line See line 1
24. shoot from the hip
    shoot from the hip to speak bluntly or impulsively without concern for the consequences
25. See bolt
    shoot one's bolt
    shoot one's bolt See bolt 1
26. shoot oneself in the foot informal.
    shoot oneself in the foot to damage one's own cause inadvertently
27. shoot one's mouth off slang.
    shoot one's mouth off
    1. to talk indiscreetly
    2. to boast or exaggerate
28. See breeze
    shoot the breeze
    shoot the breeze See breeze 1

noun

1. the act of shooting
2. the action or motion of something that is shot
3. the first aerial part of a plant to develop from a germinating seed
4. any new growth of a plant, such as a bud, young branch, etc
5. a meeting or party organized for hunting game with guns
6. an area or series of coverts and woods where game can be hunted with guns
7. a steep descent in a stream; rapid
8. informal.
   a photographic assignment
9. geology mining a narrow workable vein of ore
10. obsolete.
    the reach of a shot
11. the whole shoot slang.
    the whole shoot everything

interjection

1. an exclamation expressing disbelief, scepticism, disgust, disappointment, etc

shoot

/ sho̅o̅t /

1. The part of a vascular plant that is above ground, including the stem and leaves. The tips of shoots contain the apical meristem .

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shoot¹

Old English sceōtan; related to Old Norse skjōta, Old High German skiozan to shoot, Old Slavonic iskydati to throw out

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. shoot from the hip, to act or speak without due consideration or deliberation.
2. shoot off one's mouth / face, Slang.
   1. to talk indiscreetly, especially to reveal confidences, make thoughtless remarks, etc.
   2. to exaggerate:

      He likes to shoot off his mouth about what a great guy he is.

3. shoot one's bolt. Informal. bolt ¹( def 29 ).
4. shoot one's wad. Informal. wad ¹( def 13 ).
5. shoot the breeze. Slang. breeze ¹( def 11 ).
6. shoot the bull. Slang. bull ²( def 2 ).
7. shoot the works. Slang. work ( def 55 ).

More idioms and phrases containing shoot

• like shooting fish in a barrel
• sure as shooting
• whole ball of wax (shooting match)
• shot

Example Sentences

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.

From The Daily Beast

I mean, the reality of it was, I had to go out and get on a horse, and ride in, shoot the gun — how hard was that, right?

From The Daily Beast

But even when the jet will be able to shoot its gun, the F-35 barely carries enough ammunition to make the weapon useful.

From The Daily Beast

The brand logo turned out to feature a graceful archer on horseback, in a Tatar national costume, poised to shoot his arrow.

From The Daily Beast

At the beginning of the video and before the call to kill police, you can hear what sounds like, “arms up, shoot back!”

From The Daily Beast

I was right, so it seems, about getting ashore before the enemy could see to shoot out to sea.

From Project Gutenberg

That was a considerable sensible commandment of yourn, always to shoot the foremost of the Mexicans when they attacked.

From Project Gutenberg

"But I don't see what you can shoot with it," said Davy, feeling that he was somehow getting the worst of the argument.

From Project Gutenberg

Thereafter he ran away from school twice, having been seized with a romantic and irresistible desire to see and shoot a lion!

From Project Gutenberg

The sentinels seemed much alarmed, and drew up their carbines as if to shoot.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• blast
• execute
• explode
• fire
• hit
• hurl
• kill
• launch
• murder
• open fire