# shoot 'em up

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/shoot-em-up
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A piece of media which depicts considerable gunplay.

## Examples

- He loves watching a classic shoot 'em up on Friday nights.
- The new action movie is a loud, mindless shoot 'em up that relies more on explosions than a good story.
- While the director is known for thoughtful dramas, he surprised critics by producing a violent, high-budget shoot 'em up set in the future.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.