shoot down

British  

verb

1. to shoot callously

2. to cause to fall to earth by hitting with a missile

3. to defeat or disprove

   he shot down her argument

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shoot down Idioms  

1. Ruin the aspirations of, disappoint, as in Bill was hoping Sharon would go out with him, but she shot him down .

2. Reject, defeat; also, expose as false. For example, It was the best idea I could come up with, but they unanimously shot it down , or It was inevitable that they would shoot down any claim made by the opposing candidate . This colloquial expression, which alludes to bringing down an aircraft or game bird by shooting, is sometimes intensified as shoot down in flames , originally (in World War I) referring to bringing down enemy aircraft but the late 1950s extended to decisively defeating anyone or anything.

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Example Sentences

I’m expecting Emma to shoot down the idea—Madi and Skye never liked my ideas for art projects or video games—but when I look at my new friend, her face is a cheesy smile.

From Literature

Military personnel do not currently have the legal power to shoot down drones, and instead rely on the police.

From BBC

The military already has air defenses in the region, including destroyers capable of shooting down aerial threats.

From The Wall Street Journal

Patriot interceptors can shoot down ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft.

From The Wall Street Journal

“No offense or anything, but you’re not that good,” he announces, then hops on his skateboard and shoots down the path to the street.

From Literature

Related Words

• cheapen
• corrupt
• debase
• degenerate
• demean
• deteriorate
• diminish
• discredit
• disgrace
• downgrade
• impair
• lessen
• reduce
• vitiate
• weaken