shoot

verb (past and past participle shot)

1》 kill or wound (a person or animal) with a bullet or arrow.

    ↘cause (a gun) to fire.

    ↘hunt game with a gun.

    ↘(shoot someone/thing down) bring down an aircraft or person by shooting.

2》 move suddenly and rapidly.

    ↘[as adjective shooting] (of a pain) sudden and piercing.

    ↘direct (a glance, question, or remark) at someone.

    ↘(shoot through) Austral./NZ informal depart, especially hurriedly.

3》 (in football, basketball, etc.) kick, hit, or throw the ball or puck in an attempt to score a goal.

    ↘informal make (a specified score) for a round of golf.

    ↘N. Amer. informal play a game of (pool, dice, or golf).

4》 film or photograph (a scene, film, etc.).

5》 send out buds or shoots; germinate.

6》 (shoot up) informal inject oneself with a narcotic drug.

7》 plane (the edge of a board) accurately.

8》 (of a boat) sweep swiftly down or under (rapids, a waterfall, or a bridge).

    ↘informal drive past (a traffic light at red).

9》 move (a door bolt) to fasten or unfasten a door.

noun

1》 a young branch or sucker springing from the main stock of a tree or other plant.

2》 an occasion when a group of people hunt and shoot game for sport.

    ↘Brit. land used for shooting game.

3》 an occasion of taking photographs professionally or making a film or video: a fashion shoot.

4》 variant spelling of chute¹.

5》 a rapid in a stream.

exclamation N. Amer. informal used as a euphemism for ‘shit’.

Phrases

shoot the breeze (or the bull) N. Amer. informal have a casual conversation.

shoot one's cuffs pull one's shirt cuffs out to project beyond the cuffs of one's jacket or coat.

shoot oneself in the foot informal inadvertently make a situation worse for oneself.

shoot a line Brit. informal describe something in an exaggerated, untruthful, or boastful way.

shoot one's mouth off informal talk boastfully or indiscreetly.

the whole shooting match informal everything.

Derivatives

shootable adjective

Origin

OE scēotan, of Gmc origin; related to sheet¹, shot¹, and shut.