shoot first and ask questions later
The phrase is often used to describe impulsive actions taken without considering the consequences, rooted in a 'take action now, think later' mentality.
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Definition
C1General
(informal, idiomatic)To take immediate and often aggressive action without first considering the consequences or gathering all necessary information.
Example
- In the heat of the moment, he decided to shoot first and ask questions later, which led to unintended consequences.
- Her approach to problem-solving was to shoot first and ask questions later, often resulting in more chaos.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "shoot first and ask questions later":
shoot from the hipready, fire, aimshoot backtake no prisoners