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:
That followed a defeat by Chile in the Copa America final, in which he missed a penalty in the shootout as Argentina lost a fourth major final in nine years.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
The winter includes trips to South Africa and Bangladesh, and a one-off pink-ball shootout against Australia.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
"We can confirm that prior to the match, both teams agreed that there would not be a penalty shootout in the event of a draw," Fulham wrote on X.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
In a post-match report on Malaga's website, the La Liga club wrote: "Although a penalty shootout had been scheduled, Fulham left the pitch, claiming that a shootout had not been included in the contract."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 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
Both sides have only won one of their five shootouts - and have missed nine penalties in total.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
No shootouts this summer have gone beyond six penalties per side.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Of the 26 'stutter' penalties taken during this World Cup - penalty shootouts included - 11 have not been scored, which leads to a conversion rate of 57%.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Several games have been decided in overtime or penalty shootouts, keeping viewers glued to their screens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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
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.
