establishing shot
noun
: a usually long shot in film or video used at the beginning of a sequence to establish an overview of the scene that follows
Examples of establishing shot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those establishing shots and blink-and-you-miss-it background details?
—
Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, images of the real-life Studio City house were simply used for establishing shots.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
Fade in on an establishing shot of Gare du Nord in Paris (which is in France).
—John Kenney, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Nestled between Yo’s recollections of childhood and early adulthood are establishing shots and dramatizations that, at first, can be hard to decipher as having been shot in real spaces or in Fitch’s meticulous 1/3rd scale models.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for establishing shot
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, images of the real-life Studio City house were simply used for establishing shots.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
Fade in on an establishing shot of Gare du Nord in Paris (which is in France).
—John Kenney, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Nestled between Yo’s recollections of childhood and early adulthood are establishing shots and dramatizations that, at first, can be hard to decipher as having been shot in real spaces or in Fitch’s meticulous 1/3rd scale models.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for establishing shot
Cite this Entry
“Establishing shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establishing%20shot. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
