to make sb / sth fall to the ground by shooting them / it
shoot sb / sth down
to make sb / sth fall to the ground by shooting them / it
Several planes were shot down by enemy fire.
shoot sb / sth down
to be very critical of sb's ideas, opinions, etc.
His latest theory has been shot down in flames.
Definiciones del Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 9.ª edición