shot
1a discharge of a firearm, bow, etc.
the range of or the distance traveled by a missile in its flight.
an aimed discharge of a missile.
an attempt to hit a target with a missile.
an act or instance of shooting a firearm, bow, etc.
a small ball or pellet of lead, a number of which are loaded in a cartridge and used for one charge of a shotgun.
such pellets collectively: a charge of shot.
a projectile for discharge from a firearm or cannon.
such projectiles collectively: shot and shell.
a person who shoots; marksman: He was a good shot.
Slang. a blow; punch: The prizefighter was knocked out by a shot in the chin.
anything like a shot, especially in being sudden and forceful.
a heavy metal ball that competitors cast as far as possible in shot-putting contests.
an aimed stroke, throw, or the like, as in certain games, especially in an attempt to score.
an attempt or try: He's entitled to a shot at the championship.
a remark aimed at some person or thing.
a guess at something.
a hypodermic injection, as of a serum, vaccine, narcotic, or anaesthetic: He took a series of immunizing shots for hay fever.
a small quantity, especially an ounce, of undiluted liquor.
an amount due, especially at a tavern.
Photography.
a photograph, especially a snapshot: Here's a nice shot of my kids.
the act of making a photograph, especially a snapshot.
Movies, Television. a unit of action photographed without interruption and constituting a single camera view.
an explosive charge in place for detonation, as in mining or quarrying.
Metallurgy. comparatively hard globules of metal in the body of a casting.
Nautical. a 90-foot (27-meter) length of anchor cable or chain.
Checkers. a compulsory series of exchanges, especially when it proves favorable to the aggressor.
Textiles.
a pick sent through the shed in a single throw of the shuttle.
(in carpet weaving) filling yarn used to bind the pile to the fabric, usually expressed with a preceding number representing the quantity of picks used: three-shot carpet.
a defect in a fabric caused by an unusual color or size in the yarn.
a chance with odds for and against; a bet: a 20 to 1 shot that his horse will come in first.
to load or supply with shot.
to weight with shot.
Idioms about shot
by a long shot. long shot (def. 4).
call one's shots, Informal. to indicate beforehand what one intends to do and how one intends to do it.
call the shots, Informal. to have the power or authority to make decisions or control policy: Now that he's chairman of the board, he calls the shots.
have / take a shot at, make an attempt at: I'll have a shot at solving the problem.
like a shot, instantly; quickly: He bolted out of here like a shot.
shot in the arm, Informal. something that results in renewed vigor, confidence, etc.; stimulus: Her recent promotion has given her a shot in the arm. The new members gave the club a shot in the arm.
shot in the dark, Informal. a wild guess; a random conjecture.
Origin of shot
1Other words for shot
Other words from shot
- shotless, adjective
- shotlike, adjective
Other definitions for shot (2 of 2)
simple past tense and past participle of shoot1.
woven so as to present a play of colors; having a changeable color; variegated, as silk.
spread or streaked with color: the dawn sky shot with gold.
in hopelessly bad condition; ruined: Those sneakers are really shot. His morale is shot.
Slang. intoxicated.
Origin of shot
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use shot in a sentence
Crew members had to cut through the ice on the streets to get shots.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’ | Jennie Yabroff | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST“I was watching ‘Daniel The Tiger’ with my kid and I heard two shots like ‘boom-boom,’” he said.
The more we look at them the more we realize they really are calling the shots in many food webs.
Promo shots for Dee Dee King, taken by famed rock photographer Bob Gruen, are also on display at the Storefront Gallery.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings | Melissa Leon | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFrom the first shots of Autumn Sonata it's clear that this is going to be slow going.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The vessel escaped miraculously, with sails torn by shots from three Dutch vessels, which they took for one of their own.
Going back we had some long range shots with the 15-inch guns at batteries in rear of Achi Baba.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonThe well-aimed shots of the Americans were beginning to tell forcibly against the Spaniards.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanHe had two shots last year, in Spring and Autumn, but both times was many millions out in his calculations.
A little later on in the day a d——d submarine appeared and had some shots at our transports and store ships.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
British Dictionary definitions for shot (1 of 2)
/ (ʃɒt) /
the act or an instance of discharging a projectile
plural shot a solid missile, such as an iron ball or a lead pellet, discharged from a firearm
small round pellets of lead collectively, as used in cartridges
metal in the form of coarse powder or small pellets
the distance that a discharged projectile travels or is capable of travelling
a person who shoots, esp with regard to his ability: he is a good shot
informal an attempt; effort
informal a guess or conjecture
any act of throwing or hitting something, as in certain sports
the launching of a rocket, missile, etc, esp to a specified destination: a moon shot
a single photograph: I took 16 shots of the wedding
a series of frames on cine film concerned with a single event
a length of film taken by a single camera without breaks, used with others to build up a full motion picture or television film
informal an injection, as of a vaccine or narcotic drug
informal a glass of alcoholic drink, esp spirits
sport a heavy metal ball used in the shot put
an explosive charge used in blasting
globules of metal occurring in the body of a casting that are harder than the rest of the casting
a unit of chain length equal to 75 feet (Brit) or 90 feet (US)
call the shots slang to have control over an organization, course of action, etc
have a shot at informal
to attempt
Australian to jibe at or vex
like a shot very quickly, esp willingly
shot in the arm informal anything that regenerates, increases confidence or efficiency, etc: his arrival was a shot in the arm for the company
shot in the dark a wild guess
that's the shot Australian informal that is the right thing to do
(tr) to weight or load with shot
Origin of shot
1British Dictionary definitions for shot (2 of 2)
/ (ʃɒt) /
the past tense and past participle of shoot
(of textiles) woven to give a changing colour effect: shot silk
streaked with colour
slang exhausted
get shot of or get shut of slang to get rid of
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with shot
In addition to the idioms beginning with shot
- shot in the arm, a
- shot in the dark
- shot to hell
- shot up
also see:
- big cheese (shot)
- call the shots
- cheap shot
- give it one's best shot
- have a crack (shot) at
- like a shot
- long shot
- parting shot
Also see undershoot.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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