Showing results for "shot"

• past tense form of shoot.
• past participle of shoot.

shot

¹ American  

[shot] / ʃɒt /

noun

• shots,
  plural
• shot
  plural

1. a discharge of a firearm, bow, etc.

2. the range of or the distance traveled by a missile in its flight.

3. an aimed discharge of a missile.

4. an attempt to hit a target with a missile.

5. an act or instance of shooting a firearm, bow, etc.

6. a small ball or pellet of lead, a number of which are loaded in a cartridge and used for one charge of a shotgun.

7. such pellets collectively.

   a charge of shot.

8. a projectile for discharge from a firearm or cannon.

9. such projectiles collectively.

   shot and shell.

10. a person who shoots; marksman.

    He was a good shot.

11. Slang. a blow; punch.

    The prizefighter was knocked out by a shot in the chin.

12. anything like a shot, especially in being sudden and forceful.

13. a heavy metal ball that competitors cast as far as possible in shot-putting contests.

14. an aimed stroke, throw, or the like, as in certain games, especially in an attempt to score.

15. an attempt or try.

    He's entitled to a shot at the championship.

    Synonyms:

    essay, go, chance

16. a remark aimed at some person or thing.

17. a guess at something.

18. a hypodermic injection, as of a serum, vaccine, narcotic, or anaesthetic.

    He took a series of immunizing shots for hay fever.

19. a small quantity, especially an ounce, of undiluted liquor.

20. an amount due, especially at a tavern.

21. Photography.

    1. a photograph, especially a snapshot.

       Here's a nice shot of my kids.

    2. the act of making a photograph, especially a snapshot.

22. Movies, Television. a unit of action photographed without interruption and constituting a single camera view.

23. an explosive charge in place for detonation, as in mining or quarrying.

24. Metallurgy. comparatively hard globules of metal in the body of a casting.

25. Nautical. a 90-foot (27-meter) length of anchor cable or chain.

26. Checkers. a compulsory series of exchanges, especially when it proves favorable to the aggressor.

27. Textiles.

    1. a pick sent through the shed in a single throw of the shuttle.

    2. (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.

    3. a defect in a fabric caused by an unusual color or size in the yarn.

28. a chance with odds for and against; a bet.

    a 20 to 1 shot that his horse will come in first.

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verb (used with object)

shotted, shotting

1. to load or supply with shot.

2. to weight with shot.

verb (used without object)

shotted, shotting

1. to manufacture shot, as in a shot tower.

idioms

1. shot in the arm, 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.

2. have / take a shot at, make an attempt at.

   I'll have a shot at solving the problem.

3. by a long shot. long shot.

4. call the shots, to have the power or authority to make decisions or control policy.

   Now that he's chairman of the board, he calls the shots.

5. call one's shots, to indicate beforehand what one intends to do and how one intends to do it.

6. shot in the dark, a wild guess; a random conjecture.

7. like a shot, instantly; quickly.

   He bolted out of here like a shot.

shot ² American  

[shot] / ʃɒt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of shoot.

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adjective

1. woven so as to present a play of colors; having a changeable color; variegated, as silk.

2. spread or streaked with color.

   the dawn sky shot with gold.

3. in hopelessly bad condition; ruined.

   Those sneakers are really shot. His morale is shot.

4. Slang. intoxicated.

shot ¹ British  

/ ʃɒt /

noun

1. the act or an instance of discharging a projectile

2. a solid missile, such as an iron ball or a lead pellet, discharged from a firearm

3. 1. small round pellets of lead collectively, as used in cartridges

   2. metal in the form of coarse powder or small pellets

4. the distance that a discharged projectile travels or is capable of travelling

5. a person who shoots, esp with regard to his ability

   he is a good shot

6. informal an attempt; effort

7. informal a guess or conjecture

8. any act of throwing or hitting something, as in certain sports

9. the launching of a rocket, missile, etc, esp to a specified destination

   a moon shot

10. 1. a single photograph

       I took 16 shots of the wedding

    2. a series of frames on cine film concerned with a single event

    3. a length of film taken by a single camera without breaks, used with others to build up a full motion picture or television film

11. informal an injection, as of a vaccine or narcotic drug

12. informal a glass of alcoholic drink, esp spirits

13. sport a heavy metal ball used in the shot put

14. an explosive charge used in blasting

15. globules of metal occurring in the body of a casting that are harder than the rest of the casting

16. a unit of chain length equal to 75 feet (Brit) or 90 feet (US)

17. slang to have control over an organization, course of action, etc

18. informal

    1. to attempt

    2. to jibe at or vex

19. very quickly, esp willingly

20. informal anything that regenerates, increases confidence or efficiency, etc

    his arrival was a shot in the arm for the company

21. a wild guess

22. informal that is the right thing to do

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verb

1. (tr) to weight or load with shot

shot ² British  

/ ʃɒt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of shoot

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adjective

1. (of textiles) woven to give a changing colour effect

   shot silk

2. streaked with colour

3. slang exhausted

4. slang to get rid of

shot More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing shot

• 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
• shoot

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• shotless
  adjective
• shotlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shot
  plural
• shots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of shot¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sc(e)ot, (ge)sceot; cognate with German Schoss, Geschoss; akin to shoot ¹ ( def. )

Origin of shot²

First recorded in 1830–40, for the adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shot shots shotted shotting

Our Founders were not poor men, but they weren’t Griffin-rich by a long shot – that’s British monarchy levels of money.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Cryptocurrencies and precious metals shot higher, while the U.S. dollar weakened, after the Treasury Department said it planned to double its bond buybacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Incredibly, Carson defeated Mater Dei 14-10 and it was my favorite video ever shot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Rory McIlroy shot a five-under 65 to move to joint-second after three rounds of the BMW Championship, but said it will take a "heroic effort" to chase down leader Wyndham Clark.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Old William Tell himself couldn’t have shot any straighter than I did.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

He’d wanted to post some shots of the work for the tens of thousands who follow his In Situ Garden Design Instagram account.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

The shots did not hit the suspect, who dropped the object that was in his hand, police said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

In addition, Cassidy argued that the changes could turn two MMR shots into six individual injections — while requiring additional trips to the doctor’s office.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

The four-time major winner outscored his playing partner and close friend Sam Burns by seven shots as he signed for a four-under 66 to get back on the winning trail.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

“You aced that social studies quiz and made all those shots in the basketball game because you ate jelly beans?”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

“Keep your guns shotted and your powder dry!”

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

The cannon was loaded, and heavily shotted and aimed.

From Hernando Cortez Makers of History by John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott

This grew more and more certain as the time glided on, and Roberts went so far as to assert that he could tell the difference between the unshotted and the shotted guns which followed.

From Hunting the Skipper The Cruise of the "Seafowl" Sloop by Harold Piffard

The usual practice would have been to sew the body up in a shotted hammock and throw it overboard, but Kapitan von Riesser had another plan.

From Rounding up the Raider A Naval Story of the Great War by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman

Semmes, mustering his men on the deck, addresses them briefly, and sends them to their quarters; and now, with guns shotted, and lanyards taut, and ready for the pull, the "Alabama" rushes toward her enemy.

From The Naval History of the United States Volume 2 by W. C. Jackson

“Maybe I should stop drop shotting and start winning,” Melzer said with a laugh.

From New York Times ● May 27, 2010

When bass are near a weedy bottom, Lillegard favors vertical jigging or drop shotting above the vegetation.

From Time Magazine Archive

You know my fun is a sort of fizz—there's nothing but a flash—nothing to hurt—no shotting.

From Charlemont; Or, the Pride of the Village. a Tale of Kentucky by William Gilmore Simms

If a hunting-habit be properly cut it will require no shotting, which will be an advantage to your horse in diminishing the weight which he would otherwise have to carry.

From Ladies on Horseback Learning, Park-Riding, and Hunting, with Hints upon Costume, and Numerous Anecdotes by Nannie Lambert

Rifles should always be cleaned from the breach, thus avoiding possible injury to the rifling at the muzzle, which would affect the shotting adversely.

From Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army of the United States 1917 to be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training by U. S. War Department

Related Words

• attempt
• break
• opportunity
• time