shoot down

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

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.

Example Sentences

As Culkin and Charton prepare for the arrival of their third child, Los Angeles artist Alexandra Grant has been shooting down a rumor that she and Reeves tied the knot this year.

From Los Angeles Times

Romania passed new legislation earlier this month to increase the authority of airforce pilots to shoot down unidentified planes and drones.

From BBC

"Do you think that Nato countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their air space?" the reporter asked.

From BBC

Police did not shoot down the drones because the airport is located in a densely built-up area and because there were planes in the air, Insp Jespersen told reporters.

From BBC

Nato scrambled fighter jets to shoot down some of the drones.

From BBC

Related Words

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