INDEX:
1. to fire a gun or other weapon
2. to shoot someone or something
3. to be shot at by someone
4. to point a gun or weapon carefully before shooting
5. when someone shoots a gun
6. the sound of shooting
7. someone who uses a gun
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ KILL
↑ HURT/INJURE
↑ WEAPON
↑ ARMY
↑ WAR
↑ CRIME
↑ VIOLENT
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1. to fire a gun or other weapon
▷ shoot /ʃuːt/ [intransitive verb]
to point a gun towards someone or something, and make bullets come out of it in order to kill or injure them :
▪ If you move, I’ll shoot.
▪ Make sure you hold the gun steady and shoot straight.
shoot at
▪ Armed robbers who shot at a security guard are still being hunted by police.
▪ We used to shoot at empty bottles for practice.
shoot to kill
in order to kill someone
▪ The Defence Minister had ordered troops to shoot to kill if attacked.
▷ fire /faɪəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make bullets come out of a gun, or send an explosive object towards someone or something :
▪ He regained his balance, took aim, and fired.
fire into
▪ The police fired into the air to make the crowd break up.
fire at
▪ As soon as we crossed the border, enemy troops started firing at us.
fire a shot/bullet/round
▪ Kendrick fired three shots at the President’s car.
fire a gun/weapon/pistol etc
▪ Suddenly the car stopped, and the passenger got out and fired a Kalashnikov rifle at the police car.
▷ open fire /ˌəʊpən ˈfaɪəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to start shooting :
▪ The colonel gave the order for the soldiers to open fire.
open fire on
▪ Troops opened fire on a group of unarmed demonstrators in the city centre.
▷ take a shot at /ˌteɪk ə ˈʃɒt ætǁ-ˈʃɑːt-/ [verb phrase]
to shoot once at someone or something, hoping to hit them :
▪ Agent Cooper stood back and took a shot at the lock on the door.
▪ The police claim that someone took a shot at them, and they had to withdraw for their own safety.
▷ take a potshot at /ˌteɪk ə ˈpɒtʃɒt ætǁ-ˈpɑːtʃɑːt-/ [verb phrase]
to shoot at someone or something, especially from far away, without aiming carefully :
▪ A bird flew out of the tree and Harry took a potshot at it.
▪ Somebody was taking potshots at us from behind the bushes.
▷ shell /ʃel/ [transitive verb]
to shoot at enemy soldiers, cities etc in a war, using large guns that can shoot from long distances :
▪ British warships began shelling German positions along the coast.
▪ Border towns have been shelled by enemy aircraft for the past two months.
▷ bombard /bɒmˈbɑːʳdǁbɑːm-/ [transitive verb]
to shoot at a place using a lot of large guns all firing at the same time :
▪ The allied forces bombarded the enemy trenches for weeks.
bombard somebody/something with something
▪ Cromwell’s men had been bombarding the fort with their artillery for several days.
2. to shoot someone or something
▷ shoot /ʃuːt/ [transitive verb]
to kill or injure someone by firing bullets from a gun :
▪ I was afraid they were going to shoot us.
▪ Rico had been shot by a member of a rival gang.
shoot somebody in the back/chest/leg etc
▪ He had been shot in the chest but managed to crawl to safety.
shoot somebody dead
▪ A tourist was shot dead by muggers in New Orleans last night.
▷ shoot down /ˌʃuːt ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to shoot an aircraft so that it falls from the sky :
shoot something down
▪ Local militiamen shot down a federal army helicopter as it flew over the capital.
shoot down something
▪ They said the plane had been on a spy mission and they were justified in shooting it down.
▷ be hit /biː ˈhɪt/ [verb phrase]
to be injured or damaged by bullets :
▪ I didn’t realize he’d been hit until he fell to the ground.
▪ One of our planes has been hit.
be hit in the chest/face etc
▪ He was hit in the arm by a sniper’s bullet but carried on fighting.
▷ gun down /ˌgʌn ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to shoot someone, especially someone who cannot defend themselves, so that they are killed or badly injured :
gun down somebody
▪ The bank robbers gunned down two employees who tried to stop them getting away.
gun somebody down
▪ Two men dragged him out of his home, and gunned him down in the street.
▷ pick off /ˌpɪk ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to shoot people or animals one by one from a distance :
pick off somebody
▪ Jesse hid behind a rock and picked off the sheriff’s men one by one as they rode past.
pick somebody off
▪ Our rifles were much more powerful and we were able to pick the enemy off before they could even fire at us.
3. to be shot at by someone
▷ be shot at /biː ˈʃɒt ætǁ-ˈʃɑːt-/ [verb phrase]
▪ I heard a bullet whistle past my ear, and I realized we were being shot at.
▪ The UN troops shouldn’t be there just to be shot at -- they should be allowed to defend themselves.
▷ under fire /ʌndəʳ ˈfaɪəʳ/ [adverb]
if someone is under fire, they are being shot at, especially by several people during a battle :
▪ The men’s faces were white with fear -- none of them had ever been under fire before.
under heavy fire
being shot at repeatedly
▪ Although they were under heavy fire from all sides, they managed to get the wounded off the battlefield.
come under fire
start being shot at
▪ Troops sent to quell the fighting came under fire themselves.
▷ be caught in the crossfire /biː ˌkɔːt ɪn ðə ˈkrɒsfaɪəʳǁ-ˈkrɔːs-/ [verb phrase]
if someone is caught in the crossfire, they are trapped between two groups of people who are shooting at each other, and may be shot accidentally themselves :
▪ Two civilians were killed when they were caught in the crossfire between the police and the protestors.
4. to point a gun or weapon carefully before shooting
▷ aim /eɪm/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to choose the place, person etc that you want to hit and point your gun or weapon at it carefully :
▪ He picked up his shotgun, aimed, then fired.
▪ The firing squad were already aiming their rifles and waiting for the order to shoot.
aim at
▪ Which part of the target were you aiming at?
aim for somebody’s head/chest etc
▪ You can tell he was a professional killer -- they always aim for the chest.
aim something at something
▪ The rocket-launchers are aimed at Washington.
▷ take aim /ˌteɪk ˈeɪm/ [verb phrase not in passive]
to point a gun or weapon towards someone or something when preparing to shoot them :
▪ For those few seconds when they are taking aim, the soldiers are exposed to enemy fire.
5. when someone shoots a gun
▷ shot /ʃɒtǁʃɑːt/ [countable noun]
an attempt to shoot someone or something :
▪ His first shot missed. The second hit its target.
fire a shot
▪ Police fired shots into the air and used water cannon to disperse the crowd.
▷ shooting /ˈʃuːtɪŋ/ [countable noun]
when someone is shot at, and killed or injured :
▪ Oswald was seen running away from the building just after the shooting.
▪ There has been an alarming increase in the number of shootings on our streets.
▷ gunfire /ˈgʌnfaɪəʳ/ [uncountable noun]
the repeated shooting of a gun or guns :
▪ At least 4 people were killed by gunfire when police stormed the building.
a volley/hail of gunfire
▪ Joseph sprinted away to dodge the volley of gunfire.
an exchange of gunfire
when people shoot at each other
▪ A soldier was killed during an exchange of gunfire at the border station.
▷ fire /faɪəʳ/ [uncountable noun]
the repeated shooting of a gun, guns, or other weapons :
▪ The ship was hit by fire from a German plane.
▪ There was a sudden burst of machine gun fire.
enemy fire
▪ We noticed that the enemy fire was now being directed at our part of the field.
▷ volley /ˈvɒliǁˈvɑːli/ [countable noun]
several shots fired together from several weapons at the same time :
▪ Before it was lowered into the ground, a volley of shots was fired over the General’s coffin.
fire a volley
▪ The soldiers fired a volley into the air as a warning to the crowd.
▷ bombardment /bɒmˈbɑːʳdməntǁbɑːm-/ [uncountable noun]
the continuous firing of a lot of large guns in order to attack an enemy town, city etc in a war :
▪ The Germans began their bombardment of Paris in early 1870.
▪ The devastating air bombardment of the last four weeks is only the latest of a series of assaults by foreign armies.
▷ barrage /ˈbærɑːʒǁbəˈrɑːʒ/ [countable noun usually singular]
the continuous firing of a lot of guns, especially in a war :
▪ US warplanes continued their barrage again this morning.
▪ a barrage of machine-gun fire
▷ shelling /ˈʃelɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the shooting at enemy soldiers, cities etc in a war, using large guns that can shoot from long distances :
▪ Soon after dawn there was another round of heavy shelling in the eastern part of the city.
▷ hail of bullets /ˌheɪl əv ˈbʊlə̇ts/ [noun phrase]
a lot of bullets that have been fired - used especially in written descriptions :
▪ Wallace died in a hail of bullets in Los Angeles, the victim of a drive-by killing.
6. the sound of shooting
▷ shot/gunshot /ʃɒtǁʃɑːt, ˈgʌnʃɒtǁ-ʃɑːt/ [countable noun]
the noise made by a gun when it is fired :
▪ One witness claimed she had heard eight shots.
▪ An occasional gunshot can still be heard, but no-one knows who fires them.
a shot rings out
written
▪ Shots rang out from across the street as someone tried to break up the fight.
▷ gunfire /ˈgʌnfaɪəʳ/ [uncountable noun]
the sound made by several guns being fired, especially in a war :
▪ Enemy gunfire could be heard from several kilometres away.
▪ The earth shook with the sound of heavy gunfire.
7. someone who uses a gun
▷ gunman /ˈgʌnmən/ [countable noun]
someone who uses a gun to kill someone - use this especially about a criminal or someone who is using a gun illegally :
▪ Two gunmen opened fire on a bus taking children to school.
▪ Was President Kennedy killed by a lone gunman, or was there a conspiracy?
▪ Hooded gunmen burst into a home in Lima on Sunday and shot to death at least 15 people.
▷ sniper /ˈsnaɪpəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who hides, especially in a high place, and shoots at enemy soldiers :
▪ Weapons were found at three locations believed to be used by snipers.
▪ A sniper’s bullet pierced his windshield and hit him in the eye.
▷ marksman /ˈmɑːʳksmən/ [countable noun]
someone who is very well trained and very skilful at using a gun, either for sport or for their job with the army or the police :
▪ Police marksmen surrounded the building.
▪ A marksman was called in to try and hit the enemy’s machine gun post.
▷ be a good/bad etc shot /biː ə ˌgʊd ˈʃɒtǁ-ˈʃɑːt/ [verb phrase]
someone who is a good or bad shot is good or bad at shooting :
▪ You’d have to be a really good shot to get that bird from here.
▪ I used to be the best shot in the whole school.