# shoot

> English word · Verb · IPA /ʃuːt/ · frequency rank #1,917

## Definitions
1. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
2. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
3. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
4. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
5. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
6. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
7. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
8. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
9. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
10. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
11. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
12. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
13. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
14. To launch (forcefully project) a projectile.
15. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
16. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
17. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
18. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
19. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
20. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
21. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
22. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
23. To move or act quickly or suddenly.
24. To act or achieve.
25. To act or achieve.
26. To act or achieve.
27. To measure the distance and direction to (a point).
28. To inject a drug (such as heroin) intravenously.
29. To develop, move forward.
30. To develop, move forward.
31. To develop, move forward.
32. To develop, move forward.
33. To develop, move forward.
34. To protrude; to jut; to project; to extend.
35. To plane straight; to fit by planing.
36. To variegate as if by sprinkling or intermingling; to color in spots or patches. (See shot silk on Wikipedia)
37. To shoot the moon.
38. To carry out, or attempt to carry out (an approach to an airport runway).
39. To carry out a seismic survey with geophones in an attempt to detect oil.
40. To drink (a shot of an alcoholic beverage).

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **sot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-sot)
- **show** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-show)
- **soon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-soon)
- **shot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-shot)
- **sort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-sort)
- **spot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-spot)
- **shop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-shop)
- **shut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-shut)
- **soft** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-soft)
- **slot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-slot)
- **sooo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-sooo)
- **soot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-soot)
- **snot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-snot)
- **swot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-swot)
- **sook** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-sook)
- **short** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-short)
- **shows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-shows)
- **shown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-shown)
- **sport** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-sport)
- **shots** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shoot-vs-shots)

## Common misspellings (6)
`hsoot`, `shhoot`, `shoott`, `shoto`, `sohot`, `sshoot`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shoot