shooting first and asking questions later

A form of shoot first and ask questions later — To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences, without first adequately investigating the situation.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of shoot first and ask questions later
Cite this entry
APA

shooting first and asking questions later. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shooting%20first%20and%20asking%20questions%20later

MLA

“shooting first and asking questions later.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shooting%20first%20and%20asking%20questions%20later. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shooting first and asking questions later,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shooting%20first%20and%20asking%20questions%20later.

Source: shooting first and asking questions later on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.