I. ˈshüt, usu -üd.+V verb
( shot ; shot ˈshät, usu -äd.+V ; also chiefly dialect shot·ten ˈshät ə n ; shooting ; shoots )
Etymology: Middle English sheten, shoten, shuten, from Old English scēotan; akin to Old High German skiozzan to shoot, Old Norse skjōta to shoot, Crimean Gothic schieten to shoot an arrow, Lithuanian skudrus quick, agile, Sanskrit codati he incites, skundate he hurries
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to let fly or cause to be driven forward with force (as an arrow, bolt, stone, bullet) from a bow, sling, or similar device or from a firearm
shoot an arrow into the air
shoot six bullets after a fleeing burglar
were shooting off live ammunition
(2) of a device : to send forth or be capable of sending forth
automatically shoots one bullet per second
shoot a line to a ship for hauling in a breeches buoy
: use or accommodate as its proper charge or missile
a target pistol that shoots lead pellets
this bow shoots standard arrows
(3) : to cause a missile to be driven forth from (as a bow, sling, gun) : discharge
expert at shooting a pistol
— often used with off
was a grown man when he first shot off a gun
the sound of rifles being shot off
also : to set off the explosive charge in (a gun)
shooting pistols loaded with blank cartridges
b. : to send forth in a manner suggestive especially in suddenness or intensity of one discharging a missile from a bow or gun : dart
the porcupine … does not, as commonly supposed, shoot his spines at an enemy — American Guide Series: Minnesota
shot uneasy glances over their shoulders — Kenneth Roberts
shot a long-toothed smile — Earle Birney
shot at him a look of amazement
c. : to let fly or send forth in a manner suggestive especially in the course taken of the flight of something shot: as
(1) : to let fly (as a marble, a pellet) by propelling from the forefinger with the thumb
shot a spitball across the room
(2) : to send forth or drive along by a fingertip flicked across the thumb
shot a crumb off his sleeve
shoot a poker chip across a table
(3) : to send forth (as a ball or puck) in a game especially toward or at a particular objective (as a goal, net, pocket, another player) by propelling with the hands or feet or with an implement
shooting fouls with his left hand — Stanley Frank
swung his mallet and shot the ball into the goal
shoot the eight ball into the side pocket
scooped up the ball and shot it to second
also : to score by so doing
shoot a basket
shoot the winning goal
shot a hole in one
shoots an 80 on the home links
2.
a. : to strike with something shot : hit with a missile especially from a bow or gun ; especially : to wound or kill with a missile discharged from a firearm
shoot a rabbit
try to shoot a fleeing burglar
was accidentally shot
shot him dead
shot him through the heart
shot himself in the leg
b.
(1) : to remove or destroy by means of something shot or by shooting
set about shooting it to bits
had shot every building into rubble
— often used with away, off, out
shot away her masts
had his hand shot off
shoot off the lock
shoot every window in the building out
shot out the light
(2) : to destroy as completely as something shot to pieces : ruin , wreck
an occasional shooting of the mood is a minor complaint of modern United States poets — Reporter
a delicate mechanism shot by prolonged misuse
: explode
seems to shoot the theory that she was specially detailed to work on me — L.C.Stevens
c. : to put to death by a missile discharged from a firearm especially as a penalty
was sentenced to be shot as a spy
that scoundrel ought to be taken out and shot
we don't shoot traitors, we hang them
d.
(1) : to engage in the practice of killing (as birds, game) with firearms especially as a sport
goes south every year to shoot quail
preferred shooting small game
(2) : to do shooting for game in or on : hunt over
had shot the surrounding country many times
shoot a tract of woodland
allowed no one to shoot his land
3.
a. : to push or slide (as the bolt of a door or a lock) into or out of a fastening
slammed the iron door and shot the bolts — R.M.Stern
a few minutes manipulation with a bunch of skeleton keys sufficed to shoot back the bolt — F.W.Crofts
b. : to pass (a shuttle or filling thread) through the warp threads in weaving
4.
a. : to throw or cast suddenly especially with force : fling , precipitate
shot his rider over his head
the pilot must be shot from his cockpit to clear the tail — Time
grabbed the troublemakers and shot them out the door
b. : to discharge, dump, or empty especially by overturning, upending, or directing into a slide
shoot the flour into the bins
shot 10 tons of coal through the cellar window
a pit into which the dead carts had nightly shot corpses by scores — T.B.Macaulay
c. : to deal with or dispose of as if throwing away or casting aside: as
(1) : to toss or thrust hurriedly or carelessly
shoot the dishes into the sink
shot the letter under the blotter as the door opened
shot his hat and coat into the closet and dashed upstairs
(2) slang : to get rid of : give up : discard , quit
(3) : to spend especially extravagantly
shoot 1000 francs on a dinner for four — Sat. Eve. Post
: use up : exhaust
had shot his roll
d. : to throw out (dice) for inspection especially in craps : cast ; also : to place or offer (a bet) on the result of such casting
shoot five dollars
e. of a crab or lobster : to drop or cast off (a limb)
5.
a. : to push or thrust forward : stick out : project , protrude
shot his finger at my father's nose — Alan Harrington
— usually used with out
shoot out a hand in greeting
tiny lizards shooting out their tongues
weather had warped and separated some of the clapboards, shooting the nails — Thomas Williams
b. : to put forth (a growth) : send out : extrude — usually used with out or forth
plants shooting out buds
shoot out long thin hairs that act not only as organs of defense but as anchors — W.E.Swinton
shot forth a thick growth of new branches
6.
a.
(1) : to utter (as words, sounds) rapidly or suddenly or with force
his stomach tightened as he heard … shoot the next question — Erle Stanley Gardner
shot out some angry words
shot back a simple and satisfactory answer instantly — J.D.Hart
shot everything out in one sentence
shot out a snort of disbelief
(2) : to engage in (aimless talk) often as a means of passing the time
sit around shooting the bull
b. : to emit (as light, flame, fumes) suddenly or rapidly
the clanking tractor monster … shooting smoke and fumes out of its belly — A.R.Williams
a small window shot an oblique square of whiter light — Stephen Crane
c. : to eject or discharge from within the body
spitting snakes that are popularly supposed to shoot their venom
the archerfish can shoot a drop of water six feet or more — Bill Beatty
stepped to the rail and shot a stream of tobacco juice down into the water — Erle Stanley Gardner
(1) obsolete : to discharge (excreta) from the bowels ; also : to empty (as the bowels, the body) of wastes
(2) of a fish : to make a deposit of (spawn)
(3) of a spider : to spin out (thread)
(4) : vomit
shot his lunch
7.
a. : to place or bring in position by sudden motion (as in launching, casting anchor, seining)
when the net is shot the wind is brought abeam — G.S.L.Clowes
shot the trawl over the starboard side — Robert Gibbings
specifically : to release (a fishing line) in casting
b.
(1) : to cause (as a boat) to move suddenly or swiftly forward
(2) : to urge (as a horse) swiftly forward
c. : to send or carry in haste or swiftly (as on an errand or to a destination) : dispatch
elevators shoot us to appointments on the fiftieth floor — Katharine F. Gerould
a giant air bubble that shot him to the surface — Newsweek
shoot him over to that Tactical Air Force — J.G.Cozzens
d. slang : pass
shoot the salt
8.
a. : to variegate by or as if by sprinkling or intermingling color in streaks, flecks, or patches — usually used with with and often with through
hair was shot with gray — Will Cook
the Holy War had shot her earliest landscapes with a valiant blood-red — Francis Hackett
descending through clouds shot with sunlight — Rex Ingamells
like night, shoot through with star beams — Esther Carlson
a most accomplished work … shot through with the reflections of a thoughtful man of action — William Clark
level tones … faintly shot with irony — E.M.Lustgarten
b. : to subject to admixture in excessive amounts or of an undesirable kind — usually used with through
interpretation … shot through with partisan feeling — V.L.Parrington
is shot through with restraints of trade — T.W.Arnold
9.
a. : to pass swiftly along by going down
shooting terrific rapids
or by or past
the London cabdriver will not shoot the traffic lights — Charles Roetter
or under
shot bridge after bridge — C.S.Forester
or over
have shot this reef many times — Ernest Beaglehole
b. : to dash by (a competitor) in a race
10. : to form by crystallization or similar physical change
rock shot into figures
11. : to plane (as the edge of a board) straight or true : fit by planing
12. : to engage in a game of : play
shoot craps
shoot marbles
shoot a round of golf
shoot a little pool with some of the boys
13.
a. : to cause (as a blast) to explode : detonate , ignite : set off
shoot a charge of dynamite
shooting off firecrackers
b. : to effect by blasting:
(1) : to mine (coal) by blasting without previous undercutting or shearing
shoot off the solid
(2) : to break up oil-retaining rock formation in (an oil well) by exploding nitroglycerin
(3) : to remove (as a tree stump) by blasting
14. : to expose to or make the subject of an operation employing a device suggestive of a bow or gun (as in being trained on a distant object by aiming or sighting or in propelling a charge): as
a. : to take the altitude of
I pick up my sextant and shoot the star Arcturus — C.F.Blair
the optical, hand-held sextant which has shot the sun for mariners for centuries — Think
b. : to photograph with a motion-picture camera or with a still camera : take a picture of : film
were shooting a western
shot her from various angles
had to shoot several scenes over again
techniques for shooting sports
c. : to give an injection to especially for inoculation against disease
had the children shot for diphtheria
all calves TB and Bang tested and shot for shipment fever — National Live Stock Producer
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to go or pass with the sudden swiftness of something shot : move rapidly and precipitately : dart or rush as if propelled or driven forcefully : precipitate oneself or be precipitated
hoping to see a star shoot
— usually used with an adverb or an adverbial phrase especially of direction
the bow twanged and the arrow shot across the narrow space — T.B.Costain
far, far below him … shot the crystal Meramec — Winston Churchill
the car had shot forward again with a jerk — Aldous Huxley
elevator shot upward
felt his feet shoot out from under him
shoot into the stream of traffic — Paul Bowles
great fists, left and right, shot into his face — Arthur Morrison
dragonflies shot at tangents through our rigging — H.M.Tomlinson
bundles of sawn lumber should begin to shoot down the flume — S.E.White
steam shoots from a high-pressure nozzle — Waldemar Kaempffert
a wild idea shot into her mind — Ellen Glasgow
businessman who had shot into new prominence — F.L.Allen
shoot out the door
shot from his chair with a yell
soon shot ahead of his classmates
shooting to the surface to breathe
shot back into the living room again — Irish Digest
his horse, covered with foam, shot down the road over a bridge — H.E.Scudder
in shoots a breathless towheaded twelve-year-old — Blanche E. Baughan
shot along with a shriek that meant business — E.K.Brown
the thought of that lifeless immobility shot through my joy with a kind of benumbing dread — P.E.More
lifted his hand in parting and shot away — Marjorie K. Rawlings
river shoots over the cliffs in a dazzling waterfall — American Guide Series: Minnesota
b.
(1) : to move ahead by force of momentum
a sailboat shoots when the helm is put hard alee
a heavy boat will shoot much further than a light one — C.D.Lane
(2) of a bowled ball in cricket : to travel fast and close to or along the ground after pitching
c. : to stream out suddenly : spurt
blood shot from the wound at a frightening rate
felt the tears shooting from his eyes
d. : to dart in or as if in rays : appear suddenly from or as if from a source of light
the clouds split and a ray of pure sunlight shot through the clear air — William Beebe
from her black eyes there shot a magnificent look of defiance — Winston Churchill
a glint of humor shot into his eyes — Laura Krey
2.
a. : to dart with a piercing sensation
pain shot through the Negro bullfighter — F.B.Gipson
b. : to throb in pain
waiting for the tooth to shoot again
3.
a. : to cause an engine or weapon to discharge a missile
they shot at a target
tripped and fell just as he turned to shoot
b. : to practice the sport of hunting or of target firing with a gun
shoots better than he rides
has shot from childhood
c. : to practice archery
d.
(1) : to become discharged : go off
shoots at the touch of a trigger
(2) : to propel a missile
guns that shoot many miles
a rifle that shoots accurately
4. : protrude , project , extend
the land shoots into a promontory
trees shooting up against the sky
Broadway, coming in from the south, shoots north and west from Union Square — American Guide Series: New York City
5.
a.
(1) : grow , sprout
grass beginning to shoot
plant life shooting up on all sides
(2) : to put forth shoots : bud , germinate
(3) : to put out limbs — used of an animal
b. : develop , mature
teach the young idea how to shoot — James Thomson †1748
6. : to spring up or grow rapidly : advance to maturity — usually used with up
shoots up to twice its length
now he was shooting up with the promise of attaining a man's proper stature after all — T.B.Costain
had shot up to be a tall lad for his slender fourteen years — Waldo Frank
7. : to solidify so as to form spicules or crystals
8. : to play by propelling a ball or other object especially in a particular way: as
a. : to kick the ball at goal in soccer
b. : to throw the ball at a basket in basketball
c. : to propel a ball to make a hit in croquet
d. : to drive the ball at goal in hockey or lacrosse
e. : to propel a golf ball toward a green or a cup
f. : to cast dice
9. : to slide into or out of a fastening
something wrong with the way this bolt shoots
a bolt that shoots in either direction
10. : to begin to speak : speak out : say what one has to say — usually used as an imperative
all right, shoot and shoot quick. What's happened — J.M.Cain
11.
a. : to photograph a scene especially of a moving picture
b. : to operate a camera or set cameras in operation : take a photograph
12. : to explode a charge of dynamite to produce vibrations in the ground especially in seismic prospecting : explore a region by means of portable seismographs
Synonyms: see rush
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- shoot at
- shoot off one's mouth
- shoot one's bolt
- shoot one's cuffs
- shoot one's way
- shoot straight
- shoot the chutes
- shoot the moon
- shoot the red
- shoot the works
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English schoyte, from shoten to shoot
1. : a sending out of new growth (as by sprouting, budding) or the new growth or amount of new growth sent out: as
a.
(1) : the aerial part of a plant : a stem with its leaves and other appendages in contrast to the root
(2) : a branch or portion of plant growth developed from a bud and not yet mature
b. : a growth from a main stem or stock : offshoot
was an easily identifiable shoot on such a family tree — Helen Howe
a shoot of the oldest New England — Van Wyck Brooks
turnpike … may someday send shoots south to the Dayton-Columbus area — Richard Thruelsen
c. : a budding horn or antler
d. : a similar formation of crystal
e. : the part of an oyster shell between two yearly rings
2.
a. : an act of shooting (as with a bow or a firearm) : discharge of a missile:
(1) : shot
hoped to get a shoot at a deer
a wild shoot into the treetops
(2) : the firing of a missile or a group of missiles during a limited period of time especially by artillery
a tremendous predawn artillery shoot — Time
many of our shoots have been wild — H.W.Baldwin
b. obsolete : the reach of a shot : shooting distance : range
c.
(1) : a hunting trip
a duck shoot
autumn shoots over the rough bogs — James Reynolds
invited some of his friends down for a winter shoot — Newsweek
(2) : the game shot on a hunting trip
(3) : the right to shoot game in a particular area
(4) : a piece of usually privately owned land used and often reserved and specially kept up for shooting game
a 5000-acre shoot
a walk around the shoot with dogs at heel — Book of the Dog
(5) : a group of persons taking part in a hunting trip : shooting party
was invited to be one of a small shoot
d.
(1) : shooting match
horseshoe pitching and bow-and-arrow and gun shoots — American Guide Series: Tennessee
a tournament shoot
a skeet shoot
celebration will get into action again with a muzzle-loading rifle shoot — Warren Weaver
specifically : a prescribed form of competition at archery
a wand shoot
a clout shoot
(2) : a round of shots in a shooting match
e. : any of various acts or actions suggestive of the discharge of a missile from a bow or firearm: as
(1) : a cast of a fishnet
(2) : the action of shooting (as a scene, a subject) with a camera
(3) : a launching of a rocket device or a guided missile especially experimentally
space-shooting timetable averaging one big shoot a month — Edwin Diamond
has been … to Las Cruces to see a rocket shoot — Bruce Bliven b.1916
a moon shoot
3.
a. : a motion or movement resembling or suggesting that of something shot : a movement of rapid thrusting
a quick outward shoot of his arms
or the space or distance traversed by such a movement: as
(1) : a sudden or rapid advance
the lift, shoot , and swing of the seas — W.H.Taylor
a shoot of lightning crossed the horizon — Theodora Keogh
(2)
[perhaps by folk etymology from French chute — more at chute ]
: a rush of water down a steep or rapid
(3) : a momentary darting sensation : thrill , twinge
between shoots of pain
there was no padding … of familiarity to deaden the shoots of delight that I felt — Times Literary Supplement
(4) : thrust 3b
(5) : a falling of a detached mass of earth or ice
(6) : the pace between strokes in rowing
b. : something having or seeming to have such a motion: as
(1) : a bar of rays : beam , shaft
a shoot of sunlight
the shoot of a flashlight
came all together like a dust shoot — Joyce Cary
(2) : an inshoot or outshoot in baseball
4.
[probably by folk etymology from French chute — more at chute ]
: chute: as
a. : a place whether natural or artificial where a stream runs or descends swiftly
b. : any of various natural or artificial inclined passages, channels, or troughs through which something (as water, logs, grain, ore) is moved (as by sliding) from one place to another on a lower level
c. : a narrow high-walled passageway for moving cattle or sheep (as to or from a pen)
5. also shute “ : a throw of the shuttle in weaving ; also : the filling thread thus laid through the shed
6. : ore shoot
7. : a place for dumping rubbish (as by shooting or tipping from a receptacle)
8. : aggregate , lot — used in the phrase the whole shoot
fed up with the whole shoot and no heart for nothing — Richard Llewelyn
III. ˈshüt
dialect England
variant of shout
IV.
Britain
variant of shoat
V. “, usu -üd.+V interjection
Etymology: euphemism for shit (I)
— an exclamation expressing annoyance
VI. transitive verb
or shoot the tube
1. : to inject (an illicit drug) especially into the bloodstream
2. chiefly Britain : rid 2b — usually used in the past part. in the phrase be shot of or get shot of
pared costs ruthlessly and got shot of its potentially worst loans — Economist
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- shoot from the hip
- shoot oneself in the foot
- shoot the curl
- shoot the pier