shot put
Americannoun
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a field event in which a heavy ball or shot is thrown or put for distance.
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a single throw or put of the shot.
noun
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an athletic event in which contestants hurl or put a heavy metal ball or shot as far as possible
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a single put of the shot
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of shot put
First recorded in 1895–1900; shot 1 (in the sense “projectile for discharge from a firearm”) + put (in the sense “to throw or cast”)
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.
Now in high school, she recently won a state championship in the shot put event and placed fourth in the discus event.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
By the way, despite medical treatments, B.P.J. recently won a state championship in girls shot put.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
Crean Lutheran’s Noah Richardson cleared 15-6 to win the pole vault while Redondo Union’s Bo Ausmus won the discus with a throw of 185-7 and the shot put with a mark of 61-9.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
Nicoll is also a three-time British shot put champion and is targeting an appearance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
Ellis nodded, and walked away into the dressing-room to change his light sprinting shoes for the heavier ones, with extra spikes in the heel, to be used in the shot put and high jump.
From Dick Randall The Young Athlete by Clark, Ellery H.
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.