shoot-up

[ shoot-uhp ]

/ ˈʃutˌʌp /

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noun Slang.

an act or instance of injecting an addictive drug intravenously.

shootout (def. 1).

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Origin of shoot-up

First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase shoot up

Words nearby shoot-up

shoot straight, shoot the breeze, shoot the chutes, shoot the works, shoot through, shoot-up, shop, shopaholic, shop around, shop assistant, shopbot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use shoot-up in a sentence

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I think for trans men who are dating every time they hook up they have another coming out,” Sandler said.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In that photo, Merabet has a big smile that spreads across his whole face and lights up his eyes.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We won't find out this season, though it comes up occasionally.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Kickstarter is one start-up platform that seems to have realized the danger.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What need to look to right or left when you are swallowing up free mile after mile of dizzying road?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Most of the men leaped up, caught hold of spears or knives, and rushed out.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
Some weeks after, the creditor chanced to be in Boston, and in walking up Tremont street, encountered his enterprising friend.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
In less than ten minutes, the bivouac was broken up, and our little army on the march.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The bride elect rushes up to him, and so they both step down to the foot-lights.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")

British Dictionary definitions for shoot-up

shoot up

verb (adverb)

(intr) to grow or become taller very fast

(tr) to hit with a number of shots

(tr) to spread terror throughout (a place) by lawless and wanton shooting

(tr) slang to inject (someone, esp oneself) with (a drug, esp heroin)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with shoot-up

shoot up

Grow or get taller very rapidly, as in She's really shot up in the last year, and now she's taller than her mother. [First half of 1500s]

Riddle with bullets; damage or terrorize with gunfire. For example, I liked the scene in which the cowboy stomps into the saloon, gets drunk, and shoots the place up. [Late 1800s]

Inject a drug intravenously, especially an illegal drug. For example, The police caught him shooting up and arrested him. [Slang; first half of 1900s]