take a shot

phrase

1

: to fire a gun

He took a shot and missed.

—often + at

He took a shot at the deer.

2

: to try to hit

—+ at

She took a shot at me with a snowball but missed.

3

: to propel a ball or puck toward a goal

He took a shot and scored.

4

: to make a critical or hurtful remark about someone

—+ at

They took shots at each other throughout the debate.

5

: to attempt to do something successfully

—often + at

Take a shot at the math problem.

I never changed a tire before, but I'll take a shot at it.

6

informal : to photograph something

—often + of

Be sure to take a shot of the house.

Examples of take a shot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cage, of course, is not the first Hollywood luminary to take a shot at the blockbuster superhero franchise or comic-book superhero movies in general. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Together the two organizations work to ensure that those who are often left on the sidelines are given a chance to step up and take a shot. — Anna Rodin, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Fleur du Mal released a behind-the-scenes photo from 2017 of a male photographer standing over a female model to take a shot. — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Officials in the Israeli government also used the opportunity to take a shot at Sanchez, who has been an outspoken advocate for Palestinians throughout the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 31 July 2026

Rhymes for take a shot

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