From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishshootshoot1 /ʃuːt/ ●●● S2 W2 verb (past tense and past participle shot /ʃɒt $ ʃɑːt/) 1 kill/injure [transitive]SHOOT to deliberately kill or injure someone using a gun Police shot one suspect when he pulled a gun on them. Smith killed his wife, and then shot himself. A woman was shot dead in an attempted robbery.shoot somebody in the leg/head etc He had been shot in the back while trying to escape. The guards have orders to shoot intruders on sight (=shoot them as soon as they see them).2 fire a gun etc [intransitive, transitive]SHOOT to make a bullet or arrow come from a weapon Don’t shoot! I’m coming out with my hands up.shoot at Two guys walked in and started shooting at people. The soldiers had orders to shoot to kill (=shoot at someone with the intention of killing them).shoot bullets/arrows They shot arrows from behind the thick bushes.shoot a gun/rifle etc Tod’s grandfather taught him to shoot a rifle.3 birds/animals [intransitive, transitive]DSO to shoot and kill animals or birds as a sport They spent the weekend in Scotland shooting grouse.4 move quickly [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition]FAST/QUICK to move quickly in a particular direction, or to make something move in this way She shot past me into the house. The cat shot across the garden. ‘Where does cotton come from?’ Ron’s hand shot up. ‘America, Miss!’ The fountain shoots water 20 feet into the air.5 try to score [intransitive, transitive]DS to kick or throw a ball in a sport such as football or basketball towards the place where you can get a point Giggs shot from the halfway line. 6 → shoot somebody a look/glance7 photograph/film [intransitive, transitive]TCN to take photographs or make a film of something SYN film The movie was shot in New Zealand.8 pain [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]HURT/CAUSE PAIN if pain shoots through your body, you feel it going quickly through itshoot through/along A sharp pain suddenly shot along his arm.shooting pains (=continuous short pains passing through your body)9 → shoot it out (with somebody)10 → shoot yourself in the foot11 → shoot questions at somebody12 → shoot your mouth off13 → shoot the bull/breeze14 → shoot15 → shoot from the hip16 → shoot to fame/stardom/prominence17 → shoot to number one/to the top of the charts etc18 → shoot hoops/baskets19 → shoot the rapids20 → shoot pool21 → shoot craps22 plants [intransitive]HBPGROW/GET BIGGER if a plant shoots, a new part of it starts to grow, especially a new stem and leaves23 lock on a doorOPEN [transitive] to move the bolt on a door so that it is in the locked or unlocked position24 → have shot your bolt25 → shoot your load → blame/shoot the messenger at messenger1(2)THESAURUSshoot verb [intransitive, transitive] to use a gun to fire bullets, or to kill or injure someone using a gunHe ordered his men to stop shooting. The guards shot the man as he was trying to escape. President Kennedy was shot by a lone gunman.fire verb [intransitive, transitive] to shoot bullets from a gun, or send an explosive object towards someone or somethingSoldiers fired into the crowd.Helicopters fired rockets at several buildings.He regained his balance, took aim, and fired.The police fired into the air to make the crowd break up.As soon as we crossed the border, enemy troops started firing at us.Kendrick fired three shots at the president’s car.Suddenly the car stopped, and the passenger got out and fired a Kalashnikov rifle at the police car.launch verb [transitive] to send a large rocket or missile into the airAmerican warships launched cruise missiles. The guerrillas launched their rockets from densely populated towns.open fire to start shootingNineteen students were injured after a gunman opened fire.Troops opened fire on a group of unarmed demonstrators.The colonel gave the order for the soldiers to open fire.shell verb [transitive] to fire shells (=metal containers filled with an explosive substance) at enemy soldiers, cities etc in a war, using large gunsBorder towns have been shelled by enemy aircraft for the past two months.British warships began shelling German positions along the coast.bombard verb [transitive] to attack a place for a long time with shells or bombsAllied forces bombarded the coast prior to the invasion. Troops bombarded the area with shells.The allied forces bombarded the enemy trenches for weeks.Cromwell’s men had been bombarding the fort with their artillery for several days.take a potshot at somebody/something to shoot at someone or something without aiming very carefullySomeone tried to take a potshot at him, but hit the man behind instead. → shoot somebody/something ↔ down → shoot for/at something → shoot off → shoot through → shoot up→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
shoot• "I have a couple of questions for you." "Okay, shoot."• Stop or I'll shoot!• If you move, I'll shoot.• Armed robbers who shot at a security guard are still being hunted by police.• We used to shoot at empty bottles for practice.• Rico had been shot by a member of a rival gang.• A tourist was shot dead by muggers in New Orleans last night.• He ordered fighters to shoot down Hassans Boeing.• If I had possessed a gun that day I would have shot Frank; that is how bad I felt.• O'Neal turned and shot from behind the 3-point line.• She shot herself with one of her husband's hunting rifles.• The opening scenes of the program were shot in northern Oregon.• We shoot in real locations, with real-life couples.• Had I tried to run away I should certainly have been shot in the back....• He had been shot in the chest but managed to crawl to safety.• Olajuwon had only one shot in the closing minutes and Barkley got the call on the final shot, which he missed.• Her second novel shot straight to the top of the bestseller lists.• Make sure you hold the gun steady and shoot straight.• Witnesses said a man walked up to the couple in the park and talked briefly to them before shooting them.• The Defence Minister had ordered troops to shoot to kill if attacked.• I was afraid they were going to shoot us.• Turner, who was being held after his bail was revoked after the Pappas shooting, was released and Wednesday.shot dead• The Parachute regiment shot dead 13 unarmed Catholics on an illegal civil rights demonstration in Londonderry on January 30,1972.• Last year, a picker was shot dead.• Both the driver and the passenger were armed and fired several rounds before being shot dead by security men.• One of his brothers, Ammara, 26, was shot dead by the police.• He was shot dead in sight of hundreds of diners at kerbside restaurants in Calvi on the night of Aug. 21.• On August 29, Manuel Indiano Azaustre, 29, was shot dead in the town centre.• Last month a soldier's wife was shot dead near Dortmund.• Some were shot dead when thousands of women, protesting against the killings, tried to march on the President's residence.shoot at• Two guys walked in and just started shooting at people. shoot through/along• I saw food take flight from its physical manifestation, turning into light that shot through my body.• It is not confined to the area touched but shoots along the entire distribution of the nerve branch.• And had it in any case anything to do with Francis Garland being shot through the head?• He got shot through the head.• Inside was the body of a man who had been shot through the mouth.• Unfortunately the timber industry is shot through with economic inefficiency.• Many of the women's purity associations were shot through with similar class divisions.shootshootAmerican English spokenTALK TO somebody used to tell someone to start speaking ‘I have a few questions.’ ‘OK, shoot.’ → shootshootshoot2 noun [countable] 1 HBPthe part of a plant that comes up above the ground when it is just beginning to grow, or a new part that grows on an existing plant Tender green shoots will appear in February.2 TCNan occasion when someone takes photographs or makes a film a photo shoot sponsored by Kodakon a shoot She’s out on a video shoot.3 DSan occasion when people shoot birds or animals for sport, or the area of land where they do thison a shoot The royal party was on a shoot when the incident occurred.4 → green shoots (of recovery)Examples from the Corpus
shoot• Players from almost every Premier League club were involved in a shoot that took four days and cost £400,000.• Some of the guys are going on a duck shoot this weekend.• The bird is served whole on the grapevine shoot and is eaten Tom Jones style.• Stevens had just finished a photo shoot for a clothing company.• Sever each side shoot by pulling away, or cutting if necessary, so that a heel is left attached.• Madeiran willow, with its fine supple shoots, is never allowed to grow tall.• We were led on camel-back to the shoot.• Propagation is done by either dividing the rootstock with shoots or by planting seeds in a container of damp sand or loam.green shoots• The curtains looked like spring, but a spring that had happened somewhere else: all green shoots and rainfall and blossom.• Clematis so bristles with brittle green shoots in spring that planting then is an anxiety rather than a pleasure.• It can not just point smugly to the late-flowering green shoots of recovery and wait for economic summer to arrive.• If green shoots are now appearing, the media is entitled to claim some credit for watering them.• Using your thumb and index finger, remove soft, new green shoots to just above the set of leaves.• What Forest displayed at Elland Road were not green shoots of recovery but a field of talent in full bloom.• It was weeks before the bulbs in William and Jenny's bowls began to show green shoots.• To claim that a packed Oxford Street is an indication of the green shoots of recovery is surely rather premature.photo shoot• I knew how to juggle photo shoots, prepare catalogs, everything.• The Annie Leibovitz photo shoot went great.• But Carter and Jamison got together for a magazine photo shoot last week.• The rest of the day is a blur of photo shoots, speeches, interviews and endless briefings with his managers.• I do the photo shoots for the covers.• During the photo shoot, a slow stream of curious tourists and bonafide fans wander up for autographs.• The exhibit features 20 color and 10 black-and-white photos shot between 1959 and 1971.on a shoot• He ought to have been off somewhere else on a shoot by now.• If you miss out on shooting a closing shot because of this, the recording will seem to end rather abruptly.shootshoot3 interjection American English informal used to show that you are annoyed or disappointed about something Oh, shoot! I forgot to buy milk.Examples from the Corpus
shoot• Oh, shoot! I forgot to go to the bank.From Longman Business Dictionaryshootshoot /ʃuːt/ verb (past tense and past participle shot /ʃɒtʃɑːt/) [intransitive] to quickly increase in number or amountshoot above/from/toOil prices shot above $40 a barrel.The monthly interest rate shot to 10% in January. → shoot ahead → shoot somebody/something → down → shoot for something → shoot up→ See Verb tableOrigin shoot1 Old English sceotan shoot3 (1900-2000) Used to avoid saying shit 