shoot first and ask questions later en · VERB
Meanings
- (US, idiomatic) To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences, without first adequately investigating the situation.
-
(US, idiomatic) To act boldly.
“These companies are shooting first and asking questions later,” Ms. [Robin] Feldman said. “The field is expanding much faster than the legal system can keep up with. Some of the decisions being made along the way end up biting the companies that have made those decisions.”
2025 December 2, Cade Metz, quoting Robin Feldman, “Silicon Valley Builds Amazon and Gmail Copycats to Train A.I. Agents”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| shoots first and asks questions later | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| shot first and asked questions later | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| shot first and asked questions later | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| shooting first and asking questions later | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
guns blazing · shoot from the hip · first blood · preemptive
Translations (4)
de erst schießen, dann fragen (To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences) · es disparar primero y preguntar después (To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences) · nl eerst schieten, dan vragen stellen (To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences) · cmn 先斬後奏 /先斩后奏 (To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences)