shoot

¹

[ shoot ]

verb (used with object)

, shot, shoot·ing.

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

   Synonyms: pop, plug, wound, hit, gun, drop, blow away, pick off, mow down, cut down, bring down

2. to execute or put to death with a bullet:

   to be shot at sunrise.

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

   to shoot a bullet.

   Synonyms: loose, fire, discharge, blast

4. to discharge (a weapon):

   to shoot a gun.

5. to send forth (words, ideas, etc.) rapidly:

   to shoot questions at someone.

   Synonyms: fire away, discharge

6. to fling; propel:

   The volcano shot lava high into the air.

   Synonyms: hurl, fling, cast, vent, throw

7. to direct suddenly or swiftly:

   Shoot the spotlight on the doorway. He shot a smile at his wife.

8. to move suddenly; send swiftly along.
9. to go over (country) in hunting game.
10. to pass rapidly through, over, down, etc.:

    to shoot rapids.

11. to emit (a ray or rays, as of light) suddenly, briefly, or intermittently.
12. to variegate by threads, streaks, etc., of another color.
13. to cause to extend or project:

    He shot out his arm and grabbed the ball.

14. to discharge or empty, as down a chute:

    Do not shoot rubbish here!

15. Sports.
    1. to throw, kick, or otherwise propel (a ball, puck, etc.), as at a goal or teammate.
    2. to score (a goal, points, etc.) by propelling the ball, puck, etc.
16. Games. to propel (a marble) from the crook or first knuckle of the forefinger by flicking with the thumb.
17. (in dice games)
    1. to throw (the dice or a specific number).
    2. to wager or offer to bet (a sum of money):

       I'll shoot ten bucks.

18. Photography. to photograph or film.
19. to put forth (buds, branches, etc.), as a plant.
20. to slide (a bolt or the like) into or out of its fastening.
21. to pull (one's cuffs) abruptly toward one's hands.
22. Golf. to make a final score of (so many strokes):

    He shot a 73 on the first 18 holes of the tournament.

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

    to shoot the sun.

24. to detonate; cause to explode, as a charge of explosives.
25. Aeronautics. to practice (a maneuver) by repetition:

    to shoot landings.

26. Slang. to inject (an addictive drug) intravenously.

verb (used without object)

, shot, shoot·ing.

1. to send forth missiles from a bow, firearm, or the like.
2. to be discharged, as a firearm.
3. to hunt with a gun for sport:

   He fishes, but he doesn't shoot.

4. to move or pass suddenly or swiftly; spurt:

   The car shot ahead and was soon out of sight.

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

5. Nautical. to acquire momentum and coast into the wind, as a sailboat in a confined area.
6. to grow forth from the ground, as a stem.
7. to put forth buds or shoots, as a plant; germinate.
8. Photography. to photograph.
9. Movies. to film or begin to film a scene or movie.
10. to extend; jut:

    a cape shooting out into the sea.

    Synonyms: twig, sprout, sprig, branchlet, protrude, project

11. Sports, Games.
    1. 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.

    2. to propel a ball in a specific way:

       The center shoots left-handed.

12. to be felt by or flow through or permeate the body:

    Pain shot through his injured arm. Chills shot up and down her spine.

13. to carry by force of discharge or momentum:

    The missile left its pad and shot thousands of miles into space.

14. Informal. to begin, especially to begin to talk:

    I want to hear your complaint, so shoot!

noun

1. the act of shooting with a bow, firearm, etc.
2. Chiefly British. a hunting trip or expedition.
3. a match or contest at shooting.
4. a growing or sprouting, as of a plant.
5. a new or young growth that shoots off from some portion of a plant.
6. the amount of such growth.
7. a young branch, stem, twig, or the like.
8. a sprout that is not three feet high.
9. a chute.
10. Rocketry. the launching of a missile.
11. Informal. a photographic assignment or session, as for a feature film or a television commercial:

    The actress is away on a shoot.

12. Rowing. the interval between strokes.
13. Mining.
    1. a small tunnel branching off from a larger tunnel.
    2. a narrow vein of ore.

verb phrase

1. 1. to grow rapidly or suddenly.
   2. Informal. to damage or harass by reckless shooting:

      cowboys shooting up the town.

   3. to wound by shooting:

      He shot up the lion, but his guide killed it.

   4. Slang. to inject an addictive drug intravenously.
2. to attempt to obtain or accomplish; strive toward:

   He is shooting for a higher production level.

3. 1. to cause to fall by hitting with a shot:

      They shot down several ducks.

   2. Informal. to disparage, reject, or expose as false or inadequate; debunk:

      to shoot down a popular theory.

shoot

²

[ shoot ]

interjection

1. (used to express irritation or astonishment.)

shoot

/ ʃuːt /

verb

1. tr to hit, wound, damage, or kill with a missile discharged from a weapon
2. to discharge (a missile or missiles) from a weapon
3. to fire (a weapon) or (of a weapon) to be fired
4. to send out or be sent out as if from a weapon

   he shot questions at her

5. intr to move very rapidly; dart
6. tr to slide or push into or out of a fastening

   to shoot a bolt

7. to emit (a ray of light) or (of a ray of light) to be emitted
8. tr to go or pass quickly over or through

   to shoot rapids

9. intr to hunt game with a gun for sport
10. tr to pass over (an area) in hunting game
11. to extend or cause to extend; project
12. tr to discharge down or as if down a chute
13. intr (of a plant) to produce (buds, branches, etc)
14. intr (of a seed) to germinate
15. to photograph or record (a sequence, subject, etc)
16. tr; usually passive to variegate or streak, as with colour
17. sport to hit or propel (the ball, etc) towards the goal
18. tr sport to score (points, strokes, etc)

    he shot 72 on the first round

19. tr to plane (a board) to produce a straight edge
20. tr mining to detonate
21. tr to measure the altitude of (a celestial body)
22. slang.
    often foll by up to inject (someone, esp oneself) with (a drug, esp heroin)
23. shoot a line
    See line 1
24. shoot from the hip
    to speak bluntly or impulsively without concern for the consequences
25. shoot one's bolt
    See bolt 1
26. shoot oneself in the foot informal.
    to damage one's own cause inadvertently
27. shoot one's mouth off slang.
    1. to talk indiscreetly
    2. to boast or exaggerate
28. shoot the breeze
    See breeze 1

noun

1. the act of shooting
2. the action or motion of something that is shot
3. the first aerial part of a plant to develop from a germinating seed
4. any new growth of a plant, such as a bud, young branch, etc
5. a meeting or party organized for hunting game with guns
6. an area or series of coverts and woods where game can be hunted with guns
7. a steep descent in a stream; rapid
8. informal.
   a photographic assignment
9. geology mining a narrow workable vein of ore
10. obsolete.
    the reach of a shot
11. the whole shoot slang.
    everything

interjection

1. an exclamation expressing disbelief, scepticism, disgust, disappointment, etc

shoot

/ sho̅o̅t /

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

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shoot¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. shoot from the hip, to act or speak without due consideration or deliberation.
2. shoot off one's mouth / face, Slang.
   1. to talk indiscreetly, especially to reveal confidences, make thoughtless remarks, etc.
   2. to exaggerate:

      He likes to shoot off his mouth about what a great guy he is.

3. shoot one's bolt. Informal. bolt ¹( def 29 ).
4. shoot one's wad. Informal. wad ¹( def 13 ).
5. shoot the breeze. Slang. breeze ¹( def 11 ).
6. shoot the bull. Slang. bull ²( def 2 ).
7. shoot the works. Slang. work ( def 55 ).

More idioms and phrases containing shoot

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

Example Sentences

When Golijov visited the set in Atlanta last year, Coppola — who hadn’t seen the composer in 12 years — stopped what he was shooting and blurted out: “Osvaldo, we need a big love theme!”

From Los Angeles Times

“And then, right before we started shooting, I said: ‘OK, what am I doing?

From Los Angeles Times

In the crypto community, this means someone believes the price of the coin is about to shoot up.

From BBC

County sheriff’s deputy will avoid jail time in the 2021 shooting death of a suicidal man under the terms of a plea deal reached with prosecutors Tuesday morning.

From Los Angeles Times

Asked to describe what Leonard has been able to do, Lue said, “shooting a little bit.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blast
• execute
• explode
• fire
• hit
• hurl
• kill
• launch
• murder
• open fire