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

"It's a small system that you can have a couple of in your vest, to shoot down the drone when it's coming in."

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"They combine ballistic and aeroballistic missiles with waves of drones. It is not easy to shoot down," the official explained.

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What if the Soviets had managed to shoot down the U-2?

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Belgium’s attempts to jam and shoot down the drones were ineffective.

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"How can one shoot down a civilian who posed no threat?"

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Related Words

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