shootout

[ shoot-out ]

noun

1. 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.
2. Slang. any military conflict or skirmish.
3. Slang. a high-scoring or intensely played game or tournament, as of basketball or ice hockey.
4. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shootout¹

1945–50; noun use of verb phrase shoot ( it ) out to settle a dispute with firearms

Example Sentences

The Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres each have at least half of their standings points as a result of overtime games or shoot outs and the Bruins lead the league with 10 points from overtime wins and shootouts.

From Washington Post

If the Bills were going to win, it was probably going to be in a shootout.

From FiveThirtyEight

Chad Henne did a great job of replacing Mahomes in Sunday’s 22-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, but it’s a lot to ask any backup quarterback to win a shootout against Allen and the Bills.

From Washington Post

Like many in the city, he has had his own experience of being close to a shootout.

From MIT Technology Review

First it lost a shootout to Miami, then recovered to handle Florida State.

From Washington Post

Even though my character got killed in that first episode it was a pretty shootout scene.

From The Daily Beast

Morales made his way to Mexico, where an effort to capture him led to a shootout, which ended with a local cop being killed.

From The Daily Beast

His game lasts until his final ship has either collided with an asteroid or lost a shootout with an enemy saucer.

From The Daily Beast

“So maybe I get trapped here or something and have to have a John Wayne shootout,” McMullen told CNN.

From The Daily Beast

Downtown L.A. was basically just Skid Row back then, and we closed it down to shoot that shootout sequence.

From The Daily Beast

Heard tell of gunfighters knotchin' their irons for each man they take in a shootout.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bout