What does "shoot" mean?

1. (to fire a weapon) to fire a bullet from a gun or an arrow from a bow. 2. (sports) to try to score a goal or point in a game like football or basketball. 3. (photography/film) to take a photograph or record a video. 4. (to move quickly) to move very fast in a certain direction. 5. (to inject drugs) to put illegal drugs into your body using a needle. 6. (new plant growth) a new part of a plant that is just starting to grow out of the ground or a branch. 7. (photo session) an occasion when someone takes professional photos or films something.

shoot — meaning, definition & examples

Word

Infinitive

shoot

Past

shot

Past participle

shot

01to fire a weapon

A2 · Elementary

v. to fire a bullet from a gun or an arrow from a bow.

v. to discharge a projectile from a weapon, such as a firearm or bow. Transitive when specifying a target or weapon.

“The hunter decided not to shoot the deer because it was too far away.”

“The soldiers were instructed not to shoot until they had a clear line of sight and positive identification of the target.”

Synonyms

fire blast discharge

02sports

A2 · Elementary Sports

v. to try to score a goal or point in a game like football or basketball.

v. to propel a ball or puck toward a goal or hoop in an attempt to score.

“You should shoot the ball as soon as you have an open space.”

“The striker chose to shoot from outside the penalty area, catching the goalkeeper off guard with a powerful low drive.”

Synonyms

kick throw strike

03photography/film

B1 · Intermediate Photography

v. to take a photograph or record a video.

v. to capture an image or record a sequence of film or video. Often used in professional contexts.

“We are going to shoot the wedding photos in the park.”

“The director decided to shoot the entire sequence in a single take to maintain the tension of the scene.”

Synonyms

film photograph record

04to move quickly

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to move very fast in a certain direction.

v. to move or progress with great speed or suddenness. Intransitive in this sense.

“A sharp pain shot up his leg when he tried to stand.”

“The car shot past us on the motorway, disappearing into the distance before we could even see the driver.”

Synonyms

dash bolt race

Antonyms

crawl creep

05to inject drugs

C1 · Advanced Slang · Informal

v. to put illegal drugs into your body using a needle.

v. to inject a drug intravenously. Highly informal and associated with substance abuse.

“The movie showed the harsh reality of people who shoot heroin in the streets.”

“The documentary explored the lives of individuals who shoot drugs in abandoned buildings, highlighting the need for better social support.”

Synonyms

inject

06new plant growth

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Science

n. a new part of a plant that is just starting to grow out of the ground or a branch.

n. the newly developed part of a plant, such as a stem or bud, emerging from the seed or an existing plant part.

“In the spring, green shoots began to appear in the garden.”

“The gardener carefully pruned the dead wood to encourage the growth of healthy new shoots during the next season.”

Synonyms

sprout bud stem

07photo session

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Photography

n. an occasion when someone takes professional photos or films something.

n. a scheduled session for professional photography or filmmaking.

“The model arrived two hours late for the fashion shoot.”

“The magazine organized a high-budget shoot in the desert to showcase the new summer collection.”

Synonyms

session assignment

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “shoot” in context.

Verb

01. shoot dead

“The suspect was shot dead during a confrontation with the police.”

verb + adj

02. shoot past

“The cyclist managed to shoot past the lead car on the final corner.”

verb + prep

03. shoot up

“Property prices in the capital have continued to shoot up this year.”

verb + adv

Noun

04. shoot film

“The director prefers to shoot film rather than use digital cameras.”

verb + noun

05. shoot glance

“She shot a glance at her watch to see how much time was left.”

verb + noun

06. shoot hoop

“We spent the afternoon shooting hoops at the local park.”

verb + noun

07. shoot scene

“They had to shoot the scene ten times before the lighting was right.”

verb + noun

08. shoot a look at

“He shot a look of pure contempt at his rival across the room.”

09. shoot from the hip

“The CEO is known to shoot from the hip during press conferences.”

10. shoot to fame

“The young actress shot to fame after her debut in the indie drama.”

11. shoot yourself in the foot

“By insulting the investors, he really shot himself in the foot.”

“He explained that he had "not intended to shoot his friend" , but opened fire when the driver also pulled a gun.”

BBC News 16 Aug 2026

“Humans cannot shoot spider silk from their bodies, but scientists have studied this amazing material for decades, working to adapt it for a range of technological applications.”

The Conversation 4 Aug 2026

“During a preparatory photo shoot, Isherwood “always sat with his foot across his knee, and he always looked at Don,” Hockney later wrote .”

Smithsonian Magazine 17 Jun 2026

Inherited from Middle English scheten, schoten, from Old English scēotan, from Proto-West Germanic skeutan, from Proto-Germanic skeutaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kéwd-e-ti, from (s)kewd- (“to shoot, throw”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian sjitte, Low German scheten, Dutch schieten, German schießen, Danish skyde, Norwegian Bokmål skyte, Norwegian Nynorsk skyta, Swedish skjuta; and also, through Indo-European, with Russian кида́ть (kidátʹ), Albanian hedh (“to throw, toss”), Persian چست (čost, “quick, active”), Lithuanian skudrùs.

Minced oath for shit.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

shoot(C1)

NOUN

offshoot(C1)

shooter(B2)

shooting(B2)