shoot
• verb (past and past part. shot) 1 kill or wound (a person or animal) with a bullet or arrow. 2 cause (a gun) to fire. 3 move suddenly and rapidly. 4 direct (a glance, question, or remark) at someone. 5 film or photograph (a scene, film, etc.). 6 shooting (of a pain) sudden and piercing. 7 (of a boat) sweep swiftly down or under (rapids, a waterfall, or a bridge). 8 move (a door bolt) to fasten or unfasten a door. 9 send out buds or shoots; germinate. informal drive past (a traffic light at red). (in sport) 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. • 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. 3 Brit. land used for shooting game. 4 an occasion of taking photographs professionally or making a film or video: a fashion shoot. 5 variant spelling of CHUTE1. • 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 down bring down (an aircraft or person) by shooting. 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. shoot through Austral./NZ informal depart, especially hurriedly. shoot up informal inject oneself with a narcotic drug. — ORIGIN Old English.
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