shoot the lights out

verb

To perform very well; to exceed expectations.

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Meanings

verbshoot the lights out (third-person singular simple present shoots the lights out, present participle shooting the lights out, simple past and past participle shot the lights out)

present singular third person shoots the lights out · participle present shooting the lights out · participle past shot the lights out · past shot the lights out

  1. slangTo perform very well; to exceed expectations.

    While the Scots weren't shooting the lights out in attack, they also allowed Belarus to be comfortable for large parts of the game. The fact they had 10 shots more than Scotland is a huge cause for concern.

    2025 October 12, Scott Mullen, “Clarke angered by Scotland on historic night”, in BBC Sport
Cite this entry
APA

shoot the lights out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoot%20the%20lights%20out

MLA

“shoot the lights out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoot%20the%20lights%20out. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shoot the lights out,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoot%20the%20lights%20out.

Source: shoot the lights out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.