one-shot
Americannoun
-
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.
-
a single appearance by a performer, as in a play, motion picture, or television program.
-
a close-up camera shot of one person.
-
something occurring, done, used, etc., only once.
adjective
-
occurring, done, etc., only once.
-
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.
Alex Fitzpatrick hit a sparkling seven-under-par 64 to seize a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
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
The 25-year-old started the final round with a one-shot lead and extended her lead to two with her first birdie of the day at the sixth as her playing partner Julia Lopez Ramirez struggled.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2025
I sat there feeling myself a heretic, believing only in this one-shot life and the body.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.
