shooting

The word “shooting” means an incident in which someone is shot, or the sport of firing guns at targets. In plain terms, an event involving gunfire, the sport of firing guns, filming a movie or show, or a sudden sharp pain.

“Shooting” is pronounced SHOO-tihng (/ˈʃuːtɪŋ/ in IPA).

Here is “shooting” used in a sentence: “Police responded quickly to reports of a shooting downtown.”

Depending on how it is used, “shooting” can be a noun and an adjective.

“Shooting” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Shooting” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an incident in which someone is shot, or the sport of firing guns at targets.

The same word covers two very different things. 'A shooting' usually refers to a specific incident in which a person is shot, and is a news and crime term. 'Shooting' as a sport or hobby means firing guns at targets, such as clay pigeons or a range bullseye, for skill or competition. Context makes the meaning clear.

Target shooting comes in several recognised forms. Rifle and pistol shooting involve firing at fixed targets over set distances. Clay pigeon shooting, including skeet and trap, means hitting clay discs thrown into the air. Many of these are Olympic events, judged on accuracy and consistency rather than speed or force.

Yes. In film and photography, 'shooting' means capturing images or footage with a camera — 'shooting a movie' or 'a photo shoot.' Here the word has nothing to do with guns; it comes from the idea of aiming a camera and 'taking' a shot. The intended meaning is always clear from the context.