Definition of "shoot-'em-up" [shoot-'em-up]

• Informal An entertainment, such as a movie or television show, featuring gunfire and violence. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Nor was he impressed by the shoot-'em-up videogames of the day."
• "Even though you know what's coming, it still stands as a shocking, masterfully edited, gorgeously conceived piece of cinema, one that set a standard for shoot-'em-up scenes for decades to come."
• "Mr. Yates attacks this twist with shoot-'em-up verve, but it never meshes with the Bridgewaters' drama, in part because it's too reminiscent of the premise for the X-Men."