Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense shoots, present participle shooting, past tense, past participle shot
1. verb
If someone shoots a person or an animal, they kill them or injure them by firing a bullet or arrow at them.
The police had orders to shoot anyone who attacked them. [VERB noun]
Namibian law permits ranchers to shoot cheetahs to protect their livestock. [VERB noun]
Gunmen shot dead the brother of the minister. [VERB noun with adjective]
The man was shot dead by the police during a raid on his house. [beV-ed with adj]
Her father shot himself in the head with a shotgun. [VERB noun + in]
Synonyms: open fire on, blast [slang], hit, kill More Synonyms of shoot
2. verb
To shoot means to fire a bullet from a weapon such as a gun.
He taunted armed officers by pointing to his head, as if inviting them to shoot. [VERB]
The police came around the corner and they started shooting at us. [VERB + at]
She had never been able to shoot straight. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Troops began shooting in all directions. [VERB adverb/preposition]
3. verb
If someone or something shoots in a particular direction, they move in that direction quickly and suddenly.
They had almost reached the boat when a figure shot past them. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Another car shot out of a junction and smashed into the back of them. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Synonyms: speed, race, rush, charge More Synonyms of shoot
4. verb
If you shoot something somewhere or if it shoots somewhere, it moves there quickly and suddenly.
Masters shot a hand across the table and gripped his wrist. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
As soon as she got close, the old woman's hand shot out. [VERB adverb/preposition]
You'd turn on the water, and it would shoot straight up in the air. [VERB adverb/preposition]
5. verb
If you shoot a look at someone, you look at them quickly and briefly, often in a way that expressesyour feelings.
Mary Ann shot him a rueful look. [VERB noun noun]
The man in the black overcoat shot a penetrating look at the other man. [VERB noun + at]
6. verb
If someone shootsto fame, they become famous or successful very quickly.
She shot to fame a few years ago with her extraordinary first novel. [VERB + to]
She shot to stardom on Broadway in a Noel Coward play. [VERBto noun]
7. verb
When people shoot a film or shoot photographs, they make a film or take photographs using a camera.
He'd love to shoot his film in Cuba. [VERB noun]
Three CBS cameramen were on site to shoot and edit taped reports. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: film, video, photograph, capture on film More Synonyms of shoot
Shoot is also a noun.
...a barn presently being used for a video shoot.
8. countable noun [usually plural]
Shoots are plants that are beginning to grow, or new parts growing from a plant or tree.
Synonyms: sprout, branch, bud, twig More Synonyms of shoot
9. verb
In sports such as football or basketball, when someone shoots, they try to score by kicking, throwing, or hitting the ball towards the goal.
Spencer scuttled away from Young to shoot wide when he should have scored. [VERB adverb/preposition]
A time limit was set for a team to shoot at the basket. [VERB adverb/preposition]
[Also V, V n]
10. verb
When someone shoots pool or shoots craps, they play a game of pool or the dice game called craps.
[US]
People are still hanging out, maybe shooting some pool. [VERB noun]
11. See also shooting, shot
12.
See shoot the breeze/shoot the bull
13.
See to shoot yourself in the foot
14. to shoot from the hip
Phrasal verbs:
See shoot down
See shoot up
More Synonyms of shoot
shoot in British English
(ʃuːt)
verbWord forms: shoots, shooting or shot
1. (transitive)
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. (intransitive)
to move very rapidly; dart
6. (transitive)
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. (transitive)
to go or pass quickly over or through
to shoot rapids
9. (intransitive)
to hunt game with a gun for sport
10. (transitive)
to pass over (an area) in hunting game
11.
to extend or cause to extend; project
12. (transitive)
to discharge down or as if down a chute
13. (intransitive)
(of a plant) to produce buds, branches, etc
14. (intransitive)
(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. (transitive) sport, mainly US and Canadian
to score (points, strokes, etc)
he shot 72 on the first round
19. (transitive)
to plane (a board) to produce a straight edge
20. (transitive) mining
to detonate
21. (transitive)
to measure the altitude of (a celestial body)
22. (often foll by up) slang
to inject (someone, esp oneself) with (a drug, esp heroin)
23. shoot a line
24. shoot from the hip
25. shoot one's bolt
26. shoot oneself in the foot
27. shoot one's mouth off
28. shoot the breeze
noun
29.
the act of shooting
30.
the action or motion of something that is shot
31.
the first aerial part of a plant to develop from a germinating seed
32.
any new growth of a plant, such as a bud, young branch, etc
33. mainly British
a meeting or party organized for hunting game with guns
34.
an area or series of coverts and woods where game can be hunted with guns
35.
a steep descent in a stream; rapid
36. informal
a photographic assignment
37. geology, mining
a narrow workable vein of ore
38. obsolete
the reach of a shot
39. the whole shoot
exclamation
40. US and Canadian informal
an exclamation expressing disbelief, scepticism, disgust, disappointment, etc
Word origin
Old English sceōtan; related to Old Norse skjōta, Old High German skiozan to shoot, Old Slavonic iskydati to throw out
shoot in American English
(ʃut)
verb transitiveWord forms: shot or ˈshooting
1.
a.
to move swiftly over, by, across, etc.
to shoot the rapids in a canoe
b.
to make move with great speed or sudden force
to shoot an elevator upward
2.
to pour, empty out, or dump, as down a chute
3.
a.
to throw or hurl out or forth
volcanoes shooting molten rock into the air
b.
to cast (an anchor, fish net, etc.)
c. US
to throw away or spoil (an opportunity, chance, etc.)
d. Informal
to use up or waste (time, money, etc.)
4.
to slide (a door bolt) into or out of its fastening
5.
a.
to variegate, streak, fleck, etc. (with another color or substance)
a blue sky shot with white clouds
b.
to vary (with something different)
a story shot with humor
6.
a.
to thrust out suddenly
snakes shooting out their tongues
b.
to put forth (a branch, leaves, etc.)
7.
a.
to send forth (a missile or projectile); discharge or fire (a bullet, arrow, etc.)
b.
to discharge or emit (rays) with force
8.
to send forth (a question, reply, glance, fist, etc.) swiftly, suddenly, or with force or feeling
9.
a.
to discharge or fire (a gun, bow, charge of explosive, etc.)
b.
to hit, wound, kill, or destroy with a bullet, arrow, etc.
c.
to make by firing a bullet
to shoot a hole in a door
10.
to hunt game in or on (a tract of land)
11.
to take the altitude of (a star) with a transit, sextant, etc.
12.
a.
to take a picture of with a camera; photograph; film
b.
to photograph
see also film (sense 5) film (sense 5a)
13.
to inject (a narcotic drug, etc.) intravenously
14.
to plane (the edge of a board) straight
15. US, Slang
to send, hand, or give in a swift or hasty way
16. Games and Sport
a.
to hit, kick, throw, drive, or propel (a ball, marble, etc.) toward the objective
b. US
to roll (dice)
c.
to make or score (a goal, points, total strokes, etc.)
d.
to play (golf, pool, craps, etc.)
e.
to make (a specified bet), as in craps
verb intransitive
17.
a.
to move swiftly; rush; dart
a cat shot out of the room
b.
to spurt or gush
water shot from the hose
18.
to be felt suddenly and keenly
pain shot through his arm
19.
to grow or sprout, esp. rapidly
20.
to jut out; project
21.
to send forth a missile or projectile; discharge bullets, arrows, etc.; go off; fire
22.
a.
to use guns, bows and arrows, etc., as in hunting
b.
to have skill in using a gun, etc.
23. US
a.
to photograph a scene or subject
b.
to start the cameras working in photographing a scene or film (sense 5) film (sense 5a)
24. Sport
a.
to propel a ball, etc. toward the objective
b.
to roll dice
noun
25.
a.
the act of shooting
b.
a shooting trip, party, or contest
a turkey shoot
c.
a round of shots in a shooting contest
26.
the action of growing or sprouting
27.
a new growth; sprout or twig
28.
action or motion like that of something shot, as of water from a hose
29.
the launching of a rocket, guided missile, etc.
30. US
a sloping trough or channel; chute
31.
a body of ore in a vein, usually elongated and vertical or steeply inclined
32.
a twinge or spasm of pain
33.
a period of photographing or filming, esp. away from the studio
a fashion shoot, a three-month shoot in Rome
interjection Slang
34. US
used to express anger, disgust, disappointment, etc.
35.
used to tell a person to begin talking
OK, now I'm ready—shoot!
Idioms:
shoot at
shoot down
shoot from the hip
shoot oneself in the foot
shoot off one's mouth
shoot up
Word origin
ME shoten < OE sceotan, akin to ON skjōta, Ger schiessen < IE base *(s)keud-, to throw, shoot > shut, OSlav is-kydati, to throw out; (sense 34) euphemism for shit
More idioms containing
shoot
shoot from the hip
shoot yourself in the foot
shoot the breeze
shoot a line
a turkey shoot
shoot the messenger
shoot your mouth off
Examples of 'shoot' in a sentence
shoot
Suddenly he just shot back and landed in a heap.
The Sun (2012)
Three attackers blew themselves up and the fourth was shot dead.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Some appeared to have been shot at close range in the head.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Just one marine was hurt when he was shot in the hand.
The Sun (2007)
They shot the wrong man for the wrong reasons.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The little one was shot straight through the head.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It is beautifully shot and directed.
The Sun (2015)
Word lists with
shoot
terms used in botany
In other languages
shoot
British English: shoot /ʃuːt/ VERB
To shoot a person or animal means to kill or injure them by firing a gun at them.
A man was shot dead during the robbery.
American English: shoot
Arabic: يُطْلِقُ
Brazilian Portuguese: disparar arma
Chinese: 射击
Croatian: upucati
Czech: postřelit
Danish: skyde
Dutch: schieten
European Spanish: disparar
Finnish: ampua
French: tirer fusil
German: schießen
Greek: πυροβολώ
Italian: sparare
Japanese: 撃つ
Korean: (...을...으로) 쏘다
Norwegian: skyte
Polish: wystrzelić
European Portuguese: disparar arma
Romanian: a împușca
Russian: стрелять
Latin American Spanish: disparar
Swedish: skjuta avlossa skott
Thai: ยิง
Turkish: ateş etmek
Ukrainian: застрелити
Vietnamese: bắn súng
All related terms of 'shoot'
shoot at
to try to reach, gain, or accomplish ; strive for
shoot out
A shoot-out is a fight in which people shoot at each other with guns .
shoot up
If something shoots up , it grows or increases very quickly.
photo shoot
A photo shoot is an occasion when a photographer takes pictures , especially of models or famous people, to be used in a newspaper or magazine .
shoot craps
to play this game
shoot down
If someone shoots down an aeroplane , a helicopter , or a missile, they make it fall to the ground by hitting it with a bullet or missile.
stone shoot
a long steeply sloping line of loose boulder-strewn scree
fashion shoot
an event at which photographs are taken of people wearing fashionable clothes
shoot through
to leave; depart
turkey shoot
an opportunity that someone can easily take advantage of
shoot a line
to say something that is exaggerated, untrue , or difficult to believe
shoot'em-up
a book, film, TV show , video game, etc. characterized by much violent content , gunplay, etc., esp. one in the western , crime , or war genres
shoot-'em-up
A shoot-em-up is a computer game that involves shooting and killing characters .
a turkey shoot
a battle or other conflict in which one side is so much stronger or better armed than the other that the weaker side has no chance at all. This expression is usually used to suggest that the situation is unfair .
shoot a scene
A scene in a play, film, or book is part of it in which a series of events happen in the same place.
shoot the bull
to pass time talking lightly
shoot the sun
to measure the altitude of the sun in order to determine latitude
shoot-to-kill
of or relating to shooting by soldiers or police that is intended to kill rather than disable
penalty shoot-out
In football , a penalty shoot-out is a way of deciding the result of a game that has ended in a draw. Players from each team try to score a goal in turn until one player fails to score and their team loses the game.
point-and-shoot
of or relating to a camera in which the lens aperture and shutter speed are automatically adjusted
shoot one's bolt
to exhaust one's effort
shoot one's cuffs
to expose one's shirt cuffs beyond the coat sleeves
shoot one's load
(of a man ) to ejaculate at orgasm
shoot the breeze
to talk with other people in an informal and friendly way
shoot-the-chute
a fairground ride consisting of a boat which slides down into a lagoon
shoot the works
to risk everything on one chance or play
shoot-to-disable
of or relating to shooting by soldiers or police that is intended to disable rather than kill
the whole shoot
everything
shootout
a battle with handguns, etc., as between police and criminals
shoot down aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle which can fly , for example an aeroplane or a helicopter .
shoot from the hip
to give your opinion or react to situations very quickly, without stopping to think it through properly
shoot the messenger
to unfairly blame a person who has given you bad news or information, when you should instead be angry with the people who are really responsible for the situation
shoot off one's mouth
to speak without caution or discretion ; blab
shoot one's mouth off
to talk indiscreetly
shoot your mouth off
to talk loudly and boastfully about yourself or your opinions
to shoot from the hip to fire from the hip
If you say that someone shoots from the hip or fires from the hip , you mean that they react to situations or give their opinion very quickly, without stopping to think .
shoot the breeze/shoot the bull
If you shoot the breeze or shoot the bull with someone, you talk to them about things which are not very serious or important.
shoot oneself in the foot
to do or say something stupid which causes problems for you or harms your chances of success
chute-the-chute
an amusement-park ride with a steep slide , often into a pool of water
to shoot yourself in the foot
If you shoot yourself in the foot , something you say or do causes you harm .