shoot

[ shoot ]

/ ʃut /

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See synonyms for: shoot / shooting / shot on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), shot, shoot·ing.

to hit, wound, damage, kill, or destroy with a missile discharged from a weapon.

to execute or put to death with a bullet: to be shot at sunrise.

to send forth or discharge (a missile) from a weapon: to shoot a bullet.

to discharge (a weapon): to shoot a gun.

to send forth (words, ideas, etc.) rapidly: to shoot questions at someone.

to fling; propel: The volcano shot lava high into the air.

to direct suddenly or swiftly: Shoot the spotlight on the doorway. He shot a smile at his wife.

to move suddenly; send swiftly along.

to go over (country) in hunting game.

to pass rapidly through, over, down, etc.: to shoot rapids.

to emit (a ray or rays, as of light) suddenly, briefly, or intermittently.

to variegate by threads, streaks, etc., of another color.

to cause to extend or project: He shot out his arm and grabbed the ball.

to discharge or empty, as down a chute: Do not shoot rubbish here!

Sports.

to throw, kick, or otherwise propel (a ball, puck, etc.), as at a goal or teammate.
to score (a goal, points, etc.) by propelling the ball, puck, etc.

Games. to propel (a marble) from the crook or first knuckle of the forefinger by flicking with the thumb.

(in dice games)

to throw (the dice or a specific number).
to wager or offer to bet (a sum of money): I'll shoot ten bucks.

Photography. to photograph or film.

to put forth (buds, branches, etc.), as a plant.

to slide (a bolt or the like) into or out of its fastening.

to pull (one's cuffs) abruptly toward one's hands.

Golf. to make a final score of (so many strokes): He shot a 73 on the first 18 holes of the tournament.

to take the altitude of (a heavenly body): to shoot the sun.

to detonate; cause to explode, as a charge of explosives.

Aeronautics. to practice (a maneuver) by repetition: to shoot landings.

Slang. to inject (an addictive drug) intravenously.

verb (used without object), shot, shoot·ing.

to send forth missiles from a bow, firearm, or the like.

to be discharged, as a firearm.

to hunt with a gun for sport: He fishes, but he doesn't shoot.

to move or pass suddenly or swiftly; spurt: The car shot ahead and was soon out of sight.

Nautical. to acquire momentum and coast into the wind, as a sailboat in a confined area.

to grow forth from the ground, as a stem.

to put forth buds or shoots, as a plant; germinate.

Photography. to photograph.

Movies. to film or begin to film a scene or movie.

to extend; jut: a cape shooting out into the sea.

Sports, Games.

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.
to propel a ball in a specific way: The center shoots left-handed.

to be felt by or flow through or permeate the body: Pain shot through his injured arm. Chills shot up and down her spine.

to carry by force of discharge or momentum: The missile left its pad and shot thousands of miles into space.

Informal. to begin, especially to begin to talk: I want to hear your complaint, so shoot!

noun

the act of shooting with a bow, firearm, etc.

Chiefly British. a hunting trip or expedition.

a match or contest at shooting.

a growing or sprouting, as of a plant.

a new or young growth that shoots off from some portion of a plant.

the amount of such growth.

a young branch, stem, twig, or the like.

a sprout that is not three feet high.

a chute.

Rocketry. the launching of a missile.

Informal. a photographic assignment or session, as for a feature film or a television commercial: The actress is away on a shoot.

Rowing. the interval between strokes.

Mining.

a small tunnel branching off from a larger tunnel.
a narrow vein of ore.

Verb Phrases

shoot down,

to cause to fall by hitting with a shot: They shot down several ducks.
Informal. to disparage, reject, or expose as false or inadequate; debunk: to shoot down a popular theory.

shoot for / at to attempt to obtain or accomplish; strive toward: He is shooting for a higher production level.

shoot up,

to grow rapidly or suddenly.
Informal. to damage or harass by reckless shooting: cowboys shooting up the town.
to wound by shooting: He shot up the lion, but his guide killed it.
Slang. to inject an addictive drug intravenously.

OTHER WORDS FOR shoot

1 blow away, bring down, cut down, drop, gun, hit, mow down, pick off, wound; plug, pop.

3 blast, discharge, fire, loose.

5 discharge, fire away.

6 cast, fling, hurl, throw, vent.

17a roll.

30 spring, start, dart, dash, bolt, fly; bowl, bustle, careen, career, hasten, hurry, hurtle, hustle, jet, race, rush, scurry, speed; barrel, bomb, hotfoot, scoot, zip.

36 project, protrude.

47 branchlet, sprig, sprout, twig.

See synonyms for shoot on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about shoot

shoot from the hip, to act or speak without due consideration or deliberation.

shoot off one's mouth / face, Slang.

to talk indiscreetly, especially to reveal confidences, make thoughtless remarks, etc.
to exaggerate: He likes to shoot off his mouth about what a great guy he is.

shoot one's bolt. Informal. bolt¹ (def. 29).

shoot one's wad. Informal. wad¹ (def. 13).

shoot the breeze. Slang. breeze¹ (def. 11).

shoot the bull. Slang. bull² (def. 2).

shoot the works. Slang. work (def. 55).

Origin of shoot

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 shot¹

Other definitions for shoot (2 of 2)

shoot²

[ shoot ]

/ ʃut /

interjection

(used to express irritation or astonishment).

Origin of shoot

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; alteration of shit, conformed to shoot¹

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

How to use shoot in a sentence

A simple one-step process to easily remove backgrounds for quick-turnaround shoots, dailies, and other situations could be a godsend for many a VFX tech or production studio.
Kaleido’s Unscreen is dead simple drag-and-drop background removal for video|Devin Coldewey|October 2, 2020|TechCrunch
To mitigate the potential for wires to cross, some producers have tried to limit brands’ remote presence by presenting them with detailed storyboards and outlines ahead of shoots and then sending photos and videos throughout the day during shoots.
‘More chefs in the kitchen’: How branded video producers manage clients remotely monitoring shoots|Tim Peterson|October 2, 2020|Digiday
Additionally, because producers and even directors are able to participate in shoots remotely through Zoom, projects are not as restricted by people’s locations, schedules or travel costs.
‘We’ve ramped back up’: Digital and branded video productions begin to return to normal|Tim Peterson|October 1, 2020|Digiday
But, as with movies and shows, branded video productions are not the same as they were before the coronavirus crisis shifted shoots to Zoom in March.
‘This was the zeitgeist year’: How TV networks sold advertisers on streaming in this year’s upfront|Tim Peterson|September 30, 2020|Digiday

It includes everything from engagement photos and pre-wedding shoots to bridal luncheons, rehearsal dinners, portrait lounges, afterparties, and even honeymoons—then, of course, the editing of thousands of images.
Couples spend thousands on a wedding photographer for that perfect shot|Rachel King|September 6, 2020|Fortune
Policemen on the show joke about prison riots, bomb threats, and the shooting of unarmed civilians.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the first episode, an officer is shown video of himself shooting and killing a man.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Then they came up against a police patrol on mountain bicycles, which again led to more shooting, without injuries.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects|Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He appears only normal, even in video footage from just two minutes before the shooting.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The phone is apparently the one he took from his girlfriend after shooting her outside Baltimore and heading for New York.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then one of the magter came in and Brion hesitated before shooting.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
Calkilate we should do ourselves more harm than him by shooting down his people.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Arnold, after he had a dozen times expressed his delight at my return, asked if I had seen any shooting.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
People are busy ballooning or driving; shooting like stars along railroads; or migrating like swallows or wild-geese.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
“Akhab Khan prevented those Shia dogs from shooting you and Mayne-sahib,” went on the low murmur.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for shoot

shoot

/ (ʃuːt) /

verb shoots, shooting or shot

(tr) to hit, wound, damage, or kill with a missile discharged from a weapon

to discharge (a missile or missiles) from a weapon

to fire (a weapon) or (of a weapon) to be fired

to send out or be sent out as if from a weaponhe shot questions at her

(intr) to move very rapidly; dart

(tr) to slide or push into or out of a fasteningto shoot a bolt

to emit (a ray of light) or (of a ray of light) to be emitted

(tr) to go or pass quickly over or throughto shoot rapids

(intr) to hunt game with a gun for sport

(tr) to pass over (an area) in hunting game

to extend or cause to extend; project

(tr) to discharge down or as if down a chute

(intr) (of a plant) to produce (buds, branches, etc)

(intr) (of a seed) to germinate

to photograph or record (a sequence, subject, etc)

(tr; usually passive) to variegate or streak, as with colour

sport to hit or propel (the ball, etc) towards the goal

(tr) sport, mainly US and Canadian to score (points, strokes, etc)he shot 72 on the first round

(tr) to plane (a board) to produce a straight edge

(tr) mining to detonate

(tr) to measure the altitude of (a celestial body)

(often foll by up) slang to inject (someone, esp oneself) with (a drug, esp heroin)

shoot a line See line 1 (def. 58)

shoot from the hip to speak bluntly or impulsively without concern for the consequences

shoot one's bolt See bolt 1 (def. 13)

shoot oneself in the foot informal to damage one's own cause inadvertently

shoot one's mouth off slang

to talk indiscreetly
to boast or exaggerate

shoot the breeze See breeze 1 (def. 5)

noun

the act of shooting

the action or motion of something that is shot

the first aerial part of a plant to develop from a germinating seed

any new growth of a plant, such as a bud, young branch, etc

mainly British a meeting or party organized for hunting game with guns

an area or series of coverts and woods where game can be hunted with guns

a steep descent in a stream; rapid

informal a photographic assignment

geology mining a narrow workable vein of ore

obsolete the reach of a shot

the whole shoot slang everything

interjection

US and Canadian an exclamation expressing disbelief, scepticism, disgust, disappointment, etc

Word Origin for shoot

Old English sceōtan; related to Old Norse skjōta, Old High German skiozan to shoot, Old Slavonic iskydati to throw out

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

Scientific definitions for shoot

shoot

[ shōōt ]

The part of a vascular plant that is above ground, including the stem and leaves. The tips of shoots contain the apical meristem.

Other Idioms and Phrases with shoot

shoot

In addition to the idioms beginning with shoot

shoot down
shoot for
shoot from the hip
shoot off one's mouth
shoot one's bolt
shoot oneself in the foot
shoot straight
shoot the breeze
shoot the works
shoot up

also see:

like shooting fish in a barrel
sure as shooting
whole ball of wax (shooting match)

Also see undershot.

shoot

OTHER WORDS FOR shoot

Idioms about shoot

Origin of shoot

Other definitions for shoot (2 of 2)

Origin of shoot

Words related to shoot

How to use shoot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shoot

Word Origin for shoot

Scientific definitions for shoot

Other Idioms and Phrases with shoot