# shoot

Pronunciation: US say "SHOOT" /ʃuːt/; UK

## Verb

1. To strike and wound or kill a person or animal, or hit a target, with a projectile fired from a weapon.
   - Simple: To hit a person, animal, or target with a bullet or arrow from a gun or bow.
   - _The marksman shot the distant target dead center._
   - _Guards have orders to shoot anyone crossing the perimeter._
2. To record a film, video, or scene, or to take photographs of a subject, using a camera.
   - Simple: To make a film or video, or take photos, with a camera.
   - _The team shot the documentary across five countries._
   - _We shoot at dawn to catch the best light._
4. To fire a gun, bow, or other weapon so that it sends out a bullet, arrow, or other projectile; also said of the weapon itself.
   - Simple: To fire a gun or bow so that a bullet or arrow comes out of it.
   - _The recruit shot the rifle for the first time._
   - _You should never shoot a firearm without proper training._
6. To send out forcefully and suddenly; to hurl, cast, or emit.
   - Simple: To send something out fast and suddenly, or to throw it hard.
   - _Geysers shoot scalding water dozens of feet into the air._
   - _She shot the ball toward the open goal._
7. To achieve a specified score, especially in golf or shooting sports.
   - Simple: To get a certain score in a game or sport.
   - _The golfer shot a career-best 65 on Sunday._
   - _Few amateurs ever shoot under par on this course._
8. To move very quickly and suddenly in a particular direction.
   - Simple: To move very fast and all of a sudden.
   - _A deer shot out of the woods and across the highway._
   - _Flames shoot up whenever fat hits the open grill._
15. To begin speaking, especially after being invited to do so.
   - Simple: To go ahead and start saying what you want to say.
   - _Ask me anything you like. Go on, shoot._
   - _"I have a question about the budget." "Shoot," said the manager._
10. To hunt birds or game with a gun, especially as a sport.
   - Simple: To hunt birds or other animals using a gun.
   - _The party went out to shoot over the moors at dawn._
   - _Wealthy landowners often shoot on their own estates each season._
16. To send something to someone quickly and casually. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To quickly send a message or thing to someone.
   - _Just shoot me an email if you have any questions._
   - _He shot her a link to the article right away._
17. To drink a shot of liquor quickly, in a single swallow.
   - Simple: To quickly drink a small glass of strong alcohol in one gulp.
   - _They shoot tequila at every birthday celebration._
   - _He shot three whiskeys before noon._
18. Of a plant, to sprout and put out new buds, stems, or leaves, or to grow quickly.
   - Simple: For a plant to start growing new parts, or to grow very fast.
   - _Bamboo can shoot up several feet in a single week._
   - _Our sunflowers shot up past the fence by the middle of July._
19. To penetrate suddenly like a missile, sending a sharp, darting sensation through the body.
   - Simple: To send a sharp, sudden pain through part of the body.
   - _These days, bending over to tie her shoes makes a sharp pain shoot down her left leg._
   - _A wrong step shot a stabbing pain through his ankle._
20. To inject a drug such as heroin directly into a vein. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To put a drug like heroin into the body through a needle in a vein.
   - _Users who shoot heroin risk infections from dirty needles._
   - _He had been shooting up for years before he got clean._
21. To stick out or extend outward, or to push or thrust something out or up.
   - Simple: To stick out, or to push something out or up quickly.
   - _Kids in the front row always shoot their hands up before the teacher finishes the question._
   - _The diver shot his arms forward to break the surface cleanly._
22. To ejaculate; to forcefully release semen at the moment of sexual climax. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To release semen out of the body at the height of sex.
   - _Men sometimes shoot their load earlier than they intend._
   - _He shot his seed across the sheets._
12. To roll or toss the dice in a game played for money.
   - Simple: To roll the dice in a game where players bet money.
   - _He blew on the dice for luck before he stepped up to shoot._
   - _They spent the night shooting craps in a Las Vegas casino and lost most of their savings._
13. To pass rapidly over or through something, such as a stretch of fast-moving water.
   - Simple: To go very fast over or through something, like a boat racing down a wild river.
   - _Only experienced paddlers should try to shoot the rapids below the dam._
   - _The canoe shot the narrow channel under the old bridge before anyone could shout a warning._

## Noun

5. A session in which photographs are taken, especially for professional work.
   - Simple: A time when photos are taken, often for work or fun.
   - _The magazine shoot took place in an abandoned warehouse._
   - _Several shoots were canceled because of the storm._
9. The young stem and first leaves of a plant as it begins to grow.
   - Simple: The new green growth that comes up when a plant starts growing.
   - _A single shoot emerged from the seed within a week._
   - _Gardeners pinch back the new shoots to encourage bushier growth._
11. An organized hunt or a competition involving the firing of guns.
   - Simple: An organized event where people hunt or compete at firing guns.
   - _The estate hosts a grouse shoot each fall._
   - _She won first place at the charity clay shoot._

## Interjection

14. A mild exclamation used to express disbelief, annoyance, or disappointment.
   - Simple: A word people say to show surprise, annoyance, or disappointment.
   - _Shoot, I can't believe I missed that deadline._
   - _Ah shoot, the store closed five minutes ago._

## Noun

3. The act of discharging a missile or firing a weapon; a single shot. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The act of firing a weapon and sending a missile out.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To dismiss something or do away with it entirely.
- (verb) In card games such as Hearts, to attempt to take all the penalty cards in one hand, reversing the usual scoring.
- (verb) To hunt game over a particular area of land.
- (verb) To slide a bolt quickly into or out of place, and so to lock or unlock a door.
- (verb) To empty a load, such as coal, by letting it slide down a sloping channel.
- (verb) To change shape all at once, especially to harden into crystals or a solid.
- (verb) To make a sudden forward thrust with the body.
- (verb) In pro wrestling, to break from the staged storyline, either by landing real blows or by saying what one actually thinks.
- (verb) In surveying, to sight on a point with an instrument to find how far away it is and its bearing.
- (verb) Of a sailing vessel, to keep moving forward on its own momentum after turning into the wind.
- (verb) To plane the edge of a board straight and true, or to fit pieces together by planing.
- (verb) To streak or fleck with different colors, as in fabric woven to change color in the light.
- (verb) To fly an approach to a runway, or try to.
- (verb) To survey an area for oil using vibrations recorded by ground sensors.
- (noun) In pro wrestling, a match, fight or moment that is real rather than staged.
- (noun) In weaving, a single crosswise thread carried across the warp on each throw of the shuttle.
- (noun) A young pig, especially a newly weaned one.
- (noun) In mining, an ore-bearing seam following much the same course as the main lode.
- (noun) A sloping channel or surface, built or natural, down which logs, coal, ore and similar material slide.
- (noun) In card games such as Hearts, the act of winning every penalty card in a single hand.
- (noun) A survey for oil made by recording ground vibrations with sensors.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–13, 15–22** — From Middle English shoten, from Old English scēotan, going back through Proto-Germanic *skeutaną, traditionally traced to a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)kewd- meaning 'to shoot, throw.' It is related to Dutch schieten, German schießen, and Swedish skjuta.
**Meaning 14** — A minced oath: a milder substitute for the swear word 'shit.'

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/shoot (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).