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Is there any difference between shoot in something and shoot at something? For example:

The guy shot a few rounds in/at the car with a machinegun and ran away.

I have definetly heard native English speakers say shoot in something, but what is the difference betweeb in and at in the context. If there isn't any, which one is more common?

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  • in is ambiguous in the cited context - did the shooter fire into the car (from somewhere outside), or out from the car (in which they were)?
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jan 4, 2020 at 15:10
  • Yes, from outside. The car is the target in the context
    – Dmytro O'Hope
    Commented Jan 4, 2020 at 15:27
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    Well, if you know that, just use into to make the intended sense crystal clear. (Or at if you want to be more vague as regards the shooter's accuracy! :)
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jan 4, 2020 at 15:30

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I think the difference is whether you hit the target or not.

“shot into” tells you the the target was hit:

he shot a dozen rounds into the car at close range

But “shot at” doesn’t say either way. It simply tells you shots were fired in that direction:

he shot at the car as it sped past

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You shoot in a shooting range or in bad weather - or even into the air.

In describes the environment in which the shooting takes places.

You shoot at something, whether a target (such as a can or a bull's-eye) or a bird/animal as in hunting, or an enemy in battle.

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    You could shoot at a car, and the bullets, or some of them, might enter the car. If you shoot into a car, probably from close range, all of the bullets enter the car, and, possibly, its unfortunate occupants.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Jan 4, 2020 at 13:31
  • You could shoot the movie in 35 mm, or in 12-bit video, but "Its shot at 30 frames per second." sigh
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented Jan 5, 2020 at 3:27

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