Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

one-shot

American  
[wuhn-shot] / ˈwʌnˌʃɒt /

noun

  1. 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.

  2. a single appearance by a performer, as in a play, motion picture, or television program.

  3. a close-up camera shot of one person.

  4. something occurring, done, used, etc., only once.


adjective

  1. occurring, done, etc., only once.

  2. 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.

Winston’s pitch earlier this year was simple but intriguing: What if they took the one-shot approach that helped make Netflix’s “Adolescence” such a sensation and used it to film a performance by Sheeran — not simply onstage but as he goes on a journey somewhere?

From Los Angeles Times

It’s not a gimmick but a device — much as the one-shot production of “Adolescence” was not performative cleverness, but the right fit for the material — both in the sense of the child being the parent of the adult, and because it allows for a different, deeper sort of performance than one is liable to get from a first or a third grader.

From Los Angeles Times

For drivers, we had gen AI, one-shot models, reasoning, moving to agentic autonomous agents, and physical AI.

From Barron's

“And that’s really critical to making a one-shot feel like it is part of the language of the show and not a gimmick. For the audience, it acts as a remedy for our terrible attention spans by not cutting.”

From Los Angeles Times

Scottie Scheffler battled the worst of the torrential downpours that battered Royal Portrush to shoot a commanding 64 and open a one-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick at the halfway stage of The Open.

From BBC