Verb

Infinitive to shoot

Third person singular shoots

Simple past shot

Past participle shot, or rarely shotten

Present participle shooting

to shoot (third-person singular simple present shoots, present participle shooting, simple past shot, past participle shot, or rarely shotten)

1. (transitive) To fire a projectile or energy weapon at.

   The man, in a desperate bid for freedom, grabbed his gun and started shooting anyone he could.

2. (transitive) To hit with a projectile or energy beam from such a weapon.

   He was shot by a police officer.

3. (intransitive) To move very quickly and suddenly.

   After an initial lag, the experimental group's scores shot past the control group's scores in the fourth week.

4. (transitive) To photograph.
5. (professional wrestling) In professional wrestling, to deviate from kayfabe, either intentionally or accidentally; to actually connect with unchoreographed fighting blows and maneuvers, or speak one's mind (instead of an agreed-to script).
6. (surveying) To measure the distance and direction to (a point).
7. (sports) To make the stated score.

   In my round of golf yesterday I shot a 76.

8. (slang) To ejaculate

   After a very short time, he shot his load over the carpet.

9. To go over or pass quickly through.

   Shoot the rapids

10. (transitive) To tip (coal, etc) down a chute [1]

Derived terms

• re-shoot
• shoot down
• shooter
• shoot from the hip

• shoot from the lip
• shoot oneself in the foot
• shoot one's mouth off
• shoot the boots

• shoot the bull
• shoot the messenger
• shoot up

Shoots are new plant growth, they can include stems, flowering stems with flower buds, leaves. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the spring, perennial plant shoots are the new growth that grows from the ground in herbaceous plants or the new stem and/or flower growth that grows on woody plants.

In everyday speech, shoots are often confused with stems. Stems, which are a critical component of shoots, provide an axis for buds, fruits, and leaves.

Shoots are often eaten by animals because the fibres in the new growth have not yet completed secondary cell wall development, this makes shoots softer and easier to chew and digest. As shoots grow and age, the cells develop completed cell walls that have a hard and tough structure. As a protection, some plants (eg. bracken) produce toxins that make their shoots inedible or less palatable.