take a shot

idiom

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
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.
For nearly the first hour of a Monday night matchup against Angel City FC, the Kansas City Current didn’t take a shot. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025 Former Jets head coach Robert Saleh's brother, David, took to X to take a shot at team owner Woody Johnson for firing his brother in hopes of sparking the team. Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025 The Lions are trying to add points before the end of the half, and take a shot on second-and-manageable in Cleveland territory. Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025 While Keanu mistakenly believed Vince would finally take a shot at flirtmance partner Morgan Pope, the Head of Household took the shot at Keanu instead. Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for take a shot

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Take a shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20shot. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!