shootout
Americannoun
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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.
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.
Among the videos that pop up are “Mick Cronin very upset after Shootout brawl,” “Mick Cronin tries to fight Xavier bench” and “UCLA coach puts players on BLAST!!”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2024
Larson started this year with a win in the Wild West Shootout, a slight recovery after his wreck that same week of January at the Chili Bowl.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2024
Penalty Shootout begins Senegal 1, Côte d'Ivoire 1.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2024
They put him in a real car at the Bojangles Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway a year later and Caruth won two heat races, finishing 10th overall.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2023
Shootout loss to Colorado in “Game of the Year” seems less impressive after Islanders shut them out.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2022
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.
