one-shot

adjective

ˈwən-ˌshät 

1

: that is complete or effective through being done or used or applied only once

There is no easy one-shot answer to the problem.

2

: that is not followed by something else of the same kind

a one-shot tax cut

one-shot noun

Synonyms of one-shot

• occasional
• one-off

Examples of one-shot in a Sentence

this offer is a one-shot deal; if you refuse, you won't get another chance

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, Bridgeman announced himself with a one-shot win over McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama. —Brody Miller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026

Bridgeman pulled it together with one last par, making a nervy 3-footer on the 18th for a 1-over 72 and a one-shot victory over McIlroy and Kitayama for his first PGA Tour title. —ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026

Unfolding in real time, using uninterrupted one-shot takes to mirror the urgency of a breaking story, the film is set over the course of a single morning in November 1949, inside the bustling New York headquarters of the respected Verity Press. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026

This one-shot marks the character's first appearance in the ongoing comics since the conclusion of the Lost Years arc back in 2023. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for one-shot

• aeronaut
• aforethought
• afterthought
• apricot
• argonaut
• astronaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot
• flowerpot