shooting

shooting — noun

1. the activity of operating a gun to send out bullets, especially as a skill or fo

1.nounB1
Definition

the activity of operating a gun to send out bullets, especially as a skill or for practice

Example

The army recruits spent the morning doing target shooting at the indoor range.

collocation: target shooting

Xiu joined a local shooting club to improve her aim with a handgun.

Common collocations
  • target shooting
  • clay pigeon shooting
  • shooting range
  • live-fire shooting
  • competitive shooting
Synonyms
  • target practice

    specifically refers to shooting at fixed targets to improve accuracy

  • marksmanship

    emphasizes the skill and precision of aiming and hitting targets

Usage Note

Countable vs. uncountable: this sense of 'shooting' is uncountable. To refer to a single event of gunfire (e.g., during training), use 'round of shooting' or 'session of shooting'. See noun sense 2 for the countable use describing a violent incident.

Common Mistakes

We heard a shooting from the military base.
We heard shooting from the military base.
General gunfire activity is uncountable and does not take 'a'.
She goes to a shooting every weekend.
She goes shooting every weekend.
Use the gerund form for the regular activity, not the countable noun.

2. an event where one or more people are hurt or killed by bullets fired from a gun

2.nounB2
Definition

an event where one or more people are hurt or killed by bullets fired from a gun

Example

The police arrived minutes after the shooting at the downtown convenience store.

countable: a shooting at [place]

Padma's family moved to a quieter neighborhood after a shooting happened nearby.

Common collocations
  • fatal shooting
  • mass shooting
  • carry out a shooting
  • survive a shooting
  • drive-by shooting
Synonyms
  • mass shooting

    a specific type of shooting where multiple people are harmed or killed in a single event

  • shooting spree

    emphasizes that the shooter moved around attacking people in different locations

  • gun attack

    a broader term that can include shootings as well as other forms of gun-based violence

Usage Note

This sense is always countable and refers specifically to a violent event where a gun is used to harm people. It does NOT refer to accidental gun discharges or formal military executions.

Common Mistakes

There was a shooting at the fairground. A child dropped a gun by accident.
There was an accidental discharge at the fairground.
'Shooting' implies intentional harm or a violent event, not an accident.
She survived a shooting pain in her arm.
She felt a shooting pain in her arm.
The noun 'shooting' does not describe physical pain sensations.

3. the activity of chasing and killing wild animals or birds with a gun, done for s

3.nounB2
Definition

the activity of chasing and killing wild animals or birds with a gun, done for sport or food

Example

Élise's grandfather took her pheasant shooting on his farm every winter.

pattern: [animal] + shooting

The estate charges a high fee for grouse shooting during the autumn season.

Common collocations
  • pheasant shooting
  • grouse shooting
  • deer shooting
  • duck shooting
  • game shooting
Synonyms
  • hunting

    the general term that may or may not involve guns; more commonly used in American English

  • game shooting

    specifically refers to shooting wild animals and birds as a managed sport on private land

Usage Note

This sense often combines with the name of the targeted animal: 'pheasant shooting', 'grouse shooting', 'deer shooting'. The term is more common in British English than American English, where 'hunting' is used more broadly.

Common Mistakes

We went deer shooting, but we only took photographs.
We went deer watching, but we only took photographs.
'Shooting' literally involves using a gun; use 'watching' or 'photographing' for non-lethal activities.

4. the process of recording images or video with a camera for a film, show, or adve

4.nounB2
Definition

the process of recording images or video with a camera for a film, show, or advertisement

Example

The director finished the final day of shooting just before the snowstorm hit.

phrase: day of shooting

Sari works as a lighting assistant during the outdoor shooting of commercials.

Common collocations
  • location shooting
  • studio shooting
  • day of shooting
  • principal shooting
  • outdoor shooting
Synonyms
  • filming

    specifically refers to recording moving images for films or television

  • photography

    refers specifically to capturing still images with a camera

  • production

    a broader term covering all stages of creating a film, not just the filming stage

Usage Note

In film and TV production, 'shooting' refers to the entire period when cameras are running. The noun 'shoot' (a single session or day of shooting) is also common in industry use: 'a three-day shoot'.

Common Mistakes

The shooting of this photograph took five minutes.
Taking this photograph took five minutes.
For still photography, 'shooting' as a noun is less natural; use 'taking a photograph' or the verb 'shoot'.
Idioms

a shooting star

idiom

a bright light that moves quickly across the night sky, caused by a small piece of rock or dust from space burning up as it enters the earth's atmosphere

Beatrix pointed up at the sky and shouted when she saw a shooting star.

The children stayed awake all night hoping to spot a shooting star.

shooting — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three terms relate to using guns, but they differ in focus. 'Shooting' is the broadest term, covering any act of firing a gun for practice, sport, or training. 'Marksmanship' emphasizes the skill and precision involved — a person with good marksmanship can hit small targets from a great distance. 'Target practice' is specifically the activity of shooting at stationary or moving targets to improve accuracy. For example: 'The soldiers spent the morning on target practice before lunch,' but 'Her marksmanship was so precise that she hit the bullseye every time.'

shooting ↗marksmanshiptarget practice

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • involved in a shooting
  • shooting at close range

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The word 'shooting' comes from the Old English verb 'scēotan', which originally meant to throw or hurl a projectile. This root traces back to the Proto-Germanic 'skeutaną' and the Proto-Indo-European 'skewd-', meaning to shoot or chase. By the 1400s, the word was closely tied to firearms as guns became common. The use of 'shoot' for photography dates from the 1890s, drawing a parallel between aiming a weapon and aiming a camera lens.