shoot
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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shoots,
present (3rd person singular)
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shot,
past participle, past
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shooting
present participle
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to hit, wound, damage, kill, or destroy with a missile discharged from a weapon.
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to execute or put to death with a bullet.
to be shot at sunrise.
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to send forth or discharge (a missile) from a weapon.
to shoot a bullet.
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to discharge (a weapon).
to shoot a gun.
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to send forth (words, ideas, etc.) rapidly.
to shoot questions at someone.
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The volcano shot lava high into the air.
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to direct suddenly or swiftly.
Shoot the spotlight on the doorway. He shot a smile at his wife.
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to move suddenly; send swiftly along.
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to go over (country) in hunting game.
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to pass rapidly through, over, down, etc..
to shoot rapids.
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to emit (a ray or rays, as of light) suddenly, briefly, or intermittently.
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to variegate by threads, streaks, etc., of another color.
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to cause to extend or project.
He shot out his arm and grabbed the ball.
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to discharge or empty, as down a chute.
Do not shoot rubbish here!
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Sports.
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to throw, kick, or otherwise propel (a ball, puck, etc.), as at a goal or teammate.
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to score (a goal, points, etc.) by propelling the ball, puck, etc.
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Games. to propel (a marble) from the crook or first knuckle of the forefinger by flicking with the thumb.
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(in dice games)
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to throw (the dice or a specific number).
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to wager or offer to bet (a sum of money).
I'll shoot ten bucks.
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Photography. to photograph or film.
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to put forth (buds, branches, etc.), as a plant.
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to slide (a bolt or the like) into or out of its fastening.
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to pull (one's cuffs) abruptly toward one's hands.
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Golf. to make a final score of (so many strokes).
He shot a 73 on the first 18 holes of the tournament.
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to take the altitude of (a heavenly body).
to shoot the sun.
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to detonate; cause to explode, as a charge of explosives.
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Aeronautics. to practice (a maneuver) by repetition.
to shoot landings.
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Slang. to inject (an addictive drug) intravenously.
verb (used without object)
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shoots,
present (3rd person singular)
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shot,
past participle, past
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shooting
present participle
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to send forth missiles from a bow, firearm, or the like.
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to be discharged, as a firearm.
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to hunt with a gun for sport.
He fishes, but he doesn't shoot.
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to move or pass suddenly or swiftly; spurt.
The car shot ahead and was soon out of sight.
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Nautical. to acquire momentum and coast into the wind, as a sailboat in a confined area.
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to grow forth from the ground, as a stem.
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to put forth buds or shoots, as a plant; germinate.
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Photography. to photograph.
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Movies. to film or begin to film a scene or movie.
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to extend; jut.
a cape shooting out into the sea.
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Sports, Games.
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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.
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to propel a ball in a specific way.
The center shoots left-handed.
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to be felt by or flow through or permeate the body.
Pain shot through his injured arm. Chills shot up and down her spine.
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to carry by force of discharge or momentum.
The missile left its pad and shot thousands of miles into space.
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Informal. to begin, especially to begin to talk.
I want to hear your complaint, so shoot!
noun
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shoots
plural
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the act of shooting with a bow, firearm, etc.
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Chiefly British. a hunting trip or expedition.
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a match or contest at shooting.
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a growing or sprouting, as of a plant.
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a new or young growth that shoots off from some portion of a plant.
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the amount of such growth.
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a young branch, stem, twig, or the like.
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a sprout that is not three feet high.
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a chute.
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Rocketry. the launching of a missile.
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Informal. a photographic assignment or session, as for a feature film or a television commercial.
The actress is away on a shoot.
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Rowing. the interval between strokes.
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Mining.
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a small tunnel branching off from a larger tunnel.
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a narrow vein of ore.
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verb phrase
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shoot up
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to grow rapidly or suddenly.
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Informal. to damage or harass by reckless shooting.
cowboys shooting up the town.
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to wound by shooting.
He shot up the lion, but his guide killed it.
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Slang. to inject an addictive drug intravenously.
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shoot for / at to attempt to obtain or accomplish; strive toward.
He is shooting for a higher production level.
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shoot down
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to cause to fall by hitting with a shot.
They shot down several ducks.
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Informal. to disparage, reject, or expose as false or inadequate; debunk.
to shoot down a popular theory.
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idioms
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shoot the bull. bull.
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shoot one's bolt. bolt.
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shoot off one's mouth / face,
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to talk indiscreetly, especially to reveal confidences, make thoughtless remarks, etc.
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to exaggerate.
He likes to shoot off his mouth about what a great guy he is.
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shoot the breeze. breeze.
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shoot one's wad. wad.
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shoot from the hip, to act or speak without due consideration or deliberation.
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shoot the works. work.
interjection
verb
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(tr) to hit, wound, damage, or kill with a missile discharged from a weapon
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to discharge (a missile or missiles) from a weapon
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to fire (a weapon) or (of a weapon) to be fired
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to send out or be sent out as if from a weapon
he shot questions at her
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(intr) to move very rapidly; dart
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(tr) to slide or push into or out of a fastening
to shoot a bolt
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to emit (a ray of light) or (of a ray of light) to be emitted
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(tr) to go or pass quickly over or through
to shoot rapids
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(intr) to hunt game with a gun for sport
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(tr) to pass over (an area) in hunting game
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to extend or cause to extend; project
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(tr) to discharge down or as if down a chute
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(intr) (of a plant) to produce (buds, branches, etc)
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(intr) (of a seed) to germinate
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to photograph or record (a sequence, subject, etc)
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(tr; usually passive) to variegate or streak, as with colour
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sport to hit or propel (the ball, etc) towards the goal
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(tr) sport to score (points, strokes, etc)
he shot 72 on the first round
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(tr) to plane (a board) to produce a straight edge
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(tr) mining to detonate
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(tr) to measure the altitude of (a celestial body)
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slang (often foll by up) to inject (someone, esp oneself) with (a drug, esp heroin)
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See line 1
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to speak bluntly or impulsively without concern for the consequences
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See bolt 1
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informal to damage one's own cause inadvertently
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slang
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to talk indiscreetly
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to boast or exaggerate
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See breeze 1
noun
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the act of shooting
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the action or motion of something that is shot
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the first aerial part of a plant to develop from a germinating seed
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any new growth of a plant, such as a bud, young branch, etc
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a meeting or party organized for hunting game with guns
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an area or series of coverts and woods where game can be hunted with guns
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a steep descent in a stream; rapid
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informal a photographic assignment
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geology mining a narrow workable vein of ore
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obsolete the reach of a shot
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slang everything
interjection
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shootsimple
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shootssimple
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have shotperfect
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has shotperfect
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am shootingprogressive
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are shootingprogressive
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is shootingprogressive
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have been shootingperfect progressive
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has been shootingperfect progressive
Past
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shotsimple
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had shotperfect
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was shootingprogressive
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were shootingprogressive
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had been shootingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Vocabulary lists containing shoot
Loaded Words from the Gun Violence Debate
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Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - Middle School
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Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Winnicott coined the term the “good enough” mother to express a radical idea: Perfection in parenting isn’t what we should shoot for.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
He also said he did not intend to shoot Thongchai, whom he described as a "good friend".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
For the businesses that supply props, artwork and other services, the arithmetic is simpler: Any shoot is better than none.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The first urgent step is increasing active defenses, which include air-defense systems that can identify, shoot down or otherwise disrupt incoming missiles and drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Do not shoot rubber bands at one another.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Feature film shoots fell 20% year over year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“This could be the first evidence of green shoots following actions management has taken to improve organic growth,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
That boost came largely from online content shoots, which rose by 47%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Carla Cressy worked as a model from the age of five until she was 17, but kept collapsing on shoots.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
My arm shoots out to grab the dashiki, but I’m too slow.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Breaking up the MMR shot would require changes in production that could take years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
You gave her a fair shot, and now you must do the same for the original owner of this $100 bill.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Incredibly, Vigurs shot another hole in one just weeks prior at Droitwich Golf Club.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Of the 10 contenders, four are considered to have a real shot at the nomination.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Clare shot out of his seat, startling the rat, who’d been busy shoving more fungi into his haversack.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Australian police dropped assault charges on Wednesday against a man lauded for his bravery during last year's mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
A question that intrigues me is why investors fall for these shooting stars in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Crystal had first met Campbell during the 1987 shooting season.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Forever,” which tells the story of two teens living on opposite sides of the 10 Freeway who fall in love, is shooting its second season locally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Alex thrusts his hand, sending a burst of light shooting outta his palm.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
