one-shot
Americannoun
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a magazine, brochure, or the like that is published only one time, with no subsequent issues intended, usually containing articles and photographs devoted to one topical subject.
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a single appearance by a performer, as in a play, motion picture, or television program.
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a close-up camera shot of one person.
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something occurring, done, used, etc., only once.
adjective
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occurring, done, etc., only once.
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achieved or accomplished with a single try.
a one-shot solution.
Etymology
Origin of one-shot
First recorded in 1905–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two putts later and a second jacket was his, a one-shot victory over Scheffler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed powered into a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic on Friday with a bogey-free 66.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
Once the most feared puncher in the division and perhaps the greatest one-shot finisher of all time, the old Wilder would likely have dispatched Herndon earlier and to more fanfare.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2025
America's Sam Burns will take a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the US Open after a terrific finish to the third round at Oakmont.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025
“It’s not like the tides just hit Wednesday night, like one of those tsunamis, one-shot deal. • • Tides are twice a day, every day. Full moons will really be killers.”
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
