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Synonyms

like a shot

Idioms  

  1. Very rapidly, as in When they asked for volunteers, he raised his hand like a shot. This expression alludes to the rapidity of gunfire. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

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.

I kind of knew that, but when she had that reaction, which was not feigned at all, that was like a shot of advice from the heart.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

Asking a general-use chatbot for health help used to seem like a shot in the dark—just two years ago, a study found that ChatGPT could diagnose only 2 in 10 pediatric cases correctly.

From Slate • Jan. 21, 2026

It didn’t seem like a shot at all, it appeared to be simply one of those freaky basketball knee injuries that just happens.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2025

"It's just an incredible experience that gets you hooked and you have to go the next time. It's like a shot in the arm."

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2022

She takes off like a shot, and I follow, plunging into the night.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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.