Shoot means: Mild expletive substituting for a stronger word. "Aw, shoot." Quintessentially Southern.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
shoot
Mild expletive substituting for a stronger word.
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
I made another jam game with my friends: It's a frenetic shoot 'em up where you add tiles to upgrade your ship on the fly! Check it out! #gamedev #godot #shmup @puppymilk.bsky.social @mushroom.computer @petrabolide.…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Not even “Gerry’s carling shoot out “
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YouTube
>> Uh, shoot. What's the song?
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YouTube
Oh, shoot. Ugh, it's a tough line.
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YouTube
>> Uh, shoot. What's the song?
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Definitions
#1·Apr 26, 2026
Mild expletive substituting for a stronger word. "Aw, shoot." Quintessentially Southern.
See it in action
“>> Uh, shoot. What's the song?”
“Oh, shoot. Ugh, it's a tough line.”
“>> Uh, shoot. What's the song?”
"Shoot, I forgot the keys."
Origin: Southern American English; minced oath substituting for stronger expletives.
For parents
Shoot means: Mild expletive substituting for a stronger word. "Aw, shoot." Quintessentially Southern.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
shoot means: Mild expletive substituting for a stronger word. "Aw, shoot." Quintessentially Southern.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
Cluster: violence
Heard in the wild
“I made another jam game with my friends: It's a frenetic shoot 'em up where you add tiles to upgrade your ship on the fly! Check it out! #gamedev #godot #shmup @puppymilk.bsky.social @mushroom.computer @petrabolide.bsky.social halfcourtyeet.itch.io/star-cell”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Not even “Gerry’s carling shoot out “”
— Bluesky· May 2026“>> Uh, shoot. What's the song?”
“Oh, shoot. Ugh, it's a tough line.”
“>> Uh, shoot. What's the song?”
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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Other words near "shoot" (S)
shook checkshook codedshook coreshook energyshook modeshooldarryshooter sowarshooting brakeshoot the bootsshoot the catshoot throughshoot through like a Bondi tram
Browse all slang words starting with S.