shootout
Americannoun
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shootouts
plural
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a gunfight that must end in defeat for one side or the other, as between gunfighters in the Old West, criminal groups, or law-enforcement officers and criminals.
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Slang. any military conflict or skirmish.
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Slang. a high-scoring or intensely played game or tournament, as of basketball or ice hockey.
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Soccer. a method of breaking a tie score at the end of overtime in which five players from each team alternate shooting at the opponent's goal, starting from a spot 35 yards (39 meters) from the goal line, in an attempt to kick the ball past the rival goalkeeper in under five seconds.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of shootout
1945–50; noun use of verb phrase shoot ( it ) out to settle a dispute with firearms
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:
Donald was retired in 2024 and missed the shootout between the teams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
After the shootout, officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said firefighters were finally able to move in and tackle the flames, which burned about 5 acres.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The 211-page report looked at the time before the children were taken in December 2021, through to the moment they were recovered after the deadly shootout in September last year.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Just two days after his 29th birthday and soon after missing a penalty in Argentina's Copa America final loss to Chile in a shootout, Messi decided he had seen enough.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
And, like a grizzled extra scurrying out of the bar just before the climactic final shootout in a grade B Hollywood Western, Bud dropped a dollar onto the table and hurriedly split.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
So what have we learned from the 360 penalties taken in 39 shootouts since 1982?
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
No shootouts this summer have gone beyond six penalties per side.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The World Cup is into the quarter-final stage, which means we could have a few more high-stake penalty shootouts ahead of us.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
He has taken Argentina's opening penalty in nine shootouts, converting seven, with his only misses coming against Chile in the 2016 Copa America final and Ecuador in the 2024 Copa América quarter-final.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
In addition, more than 52 percent of the shootouts between extremists and police now involve white extremists.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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